by    H.  H.  BOYESEN. 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


THE  NORSELAND  SERIES 


NORSELAND   TALES 


BY 

HJALMAR  HJORTH  BOYESEN 


ILLUSTRATED 


THIRD  EDITION 


NEW   YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S   SONS 
1899 


COPYRIGHT,  1894,  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


TROW  DIRECTORY 

PRINTING  AND  BOOKBINDING  COMPANY 
NEW  YORK 


N8 


NOTE 

THE  author's  acknowledgments  are  due  to 
the  publishers  of  The  Youth's  Companion  and 
Harper's  Young  People,  in  which  periodicals 
three  of  the  stories  in  this  volume — "  Zuleika," 
"  The  Adventures  of  a  '  Dig,' "  and  "  The  Feud 
of  the  Wildhaymen  " — first  appeared. 


7163O9 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

ZULEIKA, I 

/ 

THE  SUNLESS  WORLD, .  43 

LIFE  FOR  LIFE, 58 

THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A  "  Drc," 85 

THE  RUNAWAY'S  THANKSGIVING,      .        .        .    '  .        .  102 

A  BORN  CHIEFTAIN, 131 

THE  FEUD  OF  THE  WILDHAYMEN, 171 

t 

THE  LITTLE  CHAP, 192 

THE  SUN'S  SISTERS, 210 

LITTLE  ALVILDA,        .        .        .  228 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING   PAGE 

IN  THE  SULTAN'S  STABLE  YARD,        ....  Frontispiece 

MAKING  FRIENDS  WITH  ZULEIKA, 8 

ZULEIKA  RECOGNIZES  HER  MASTER, 40 

THEODORE  IN  THE  Fox  TRAP, 98 

THE  ROBBING  OF  THE  EAGLE'S  NEST,                       *  186 

REYNARD  OFFERS  HIMSELF  AS  A  TRAVELLING  COMPANION,  214 

LARS  AND  THE  PRINCESS  DAWN,       .       .       .       .       .  218 


ZULEIKA 


A  NORSEMAN  IN  STAMBOUL 

COLONEL  RING  was  a  Norwegian  officer  who 
had  entered  the  Sultan's  service.  In  the  war  of 
1877-78,  between  Russia  and  Turkey,  he  distin 
guished  himself  on  many  occasions,  and  won  the 
friendship  and  admiration  of  his  general,  Osman 
Pasha. 

After  the  retirement  of  the  victorious  Rus 
sians,  Colonel  Ring  desired  to  take  his  leave 
and  return  to  his  own  country ;  but  the  Sultan 
begged  him  to  remain  and  detained  him  from 
year  to  year,  for  he  found  great  advantage  in 
the  Colonel's  services,  and  became  attached  to 
him  personally.  The  frank  and  open  manner  of 
this  blue-eyed  Norseman,  in  whom  he  had  com 
plete  confidence,  was  particularly  pleasing  to  the 
sombre  and  suspicious  ruler  of  the  Moslems,  sur 
rounded  as  he  was  by  dangers  and  intrigues. 

Colonel  Ring  soon  had  an  opportunity  to  de 
monstrate  his  good  faith ;  for  it  was  he  who 


2  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

discovered  the  formidable  conspiracy  of  palace 
officials,  whose  design  it  was  to  assassinate  the 
Sultan  and  proclaim  his  nephew  Ishmael. 

Prince  Ishmael,  who  was  the  oldest  son  of  the 
harem  and  the  heir  to  the  throne,  was  a  boy  of 
sixteen.  He  was  quite  innocent  of  any  connec 
tion  with  the  conspiracy  in  his  behalf.  It  was 
owing  to  the  Sultan's  fondness  for  Colonel  Ring 
that  the  Prince  was  permitted  to  pass  much  of 
his  time  in  the  company  of  the  Colonel's  son 
Claude. 

The  Prince  was  a  tall,  slender  lad,  with  a  dark 
complexion  and  large,  inscrutable  black  eyes. 
He  looked  sickly,  and  though  he  had  tutors  who 
instructed  him  in  many  things,  he  was  not  over 
burdened  with  learning. 

The  poor  fellow  was  never  allowed  to  do  any 
thing  that  he  liked  to  do,  and  though  he  was  to 
be  the  ruler  of  the  Ottoman  Empire,  he  could 
not  have  bought  the  liberty  to  play  leap-frog, 
run  a  foot-race,  or  turn  hand-springs  with  all  his 
splendid  possessions. 

He  was  never  left  alone  for  a  minute  by  day 
or  by  night,  and  the  elaborate  mummery  of  bows 
and  prostrations  and  salutations  which  everyone 
must  go  through  who  approached  him,  made  his 
life  a  burden  to  him.  When  Claude  Ring,  intro 
duced  for  the  first  time,  refused  to  kneel  or  to 
perform  any  of  the  antics  which  Turkish  custom 


ZULEIKA  3 

required,  the  Prince  was  seized  with  a  great  lik 
ing  for  him  and  asked  him  to  come  back  often. 

It  was  a  great  annoyance  to  Ishmael  that  he 
could  not  learn  to  sit  a  horse  well.  Riding  with 
a  master,  in  a  ring  strewn  with  tan-bark,  was  ex 
ceedingly  wearisome  to  him,  and  neither  martial 
music  nor  respectful  praise  nor  blame  could 
make  him  hold  his  body  erect  and  carry  himself 
like  a  warrior  and  the  future  ruler  of  an  empire. 

Prince  Ishmael's  bearing  was  listless  and  self- 
conscious.  His  arms  and  legs  were  loosely  hung 
on  their  joints,  and  in  spite  of  his  gorgeous, 
gold-embroidered  uniform,  he  made  an  impres 
sion  of  weakness  rather  than  of  strength. 

Claude  Ring,  though  by  half  a  year  his  junior, 
weighed  ten  pounds  more  than  the  Prince,  and 
with  his  broad  chest,  strong,  wiry  limbs  and 
well-knit  frame,  was  greatly  his  physical  supe 
rior. 

Claude's  horsemanship  was  so  good  that  it 
occurred  to  Ishmael's  head-tutor  that  the  young 
Norseman  might  perhaps  be  able  to  teach  some 
thing  of  his  skill  to  the  Prince.  The  Sultan 
found  the  suggestion  a  good  one,  and  gave  his 
consent. 

From  that  time  on  a  change  came  over  the 
Prince's  behavior. 

He  copied,  in  innocent  fashion,  Claude's  bear 
ing  and  manner,  particularly  the  fling  of  his  head 


4  NORSELAND   TALES 

and  his  turns  of  speech.  Little  by  little,  as  he 
rode  at  Claude's  side,  in  the  parks  and  suburbs 
of  the  city,  along  the  smiling  shores  of  the 
Bosphorus,  he  began  to  open  his  heart  to  his 
companion. 

Claude  told  him  about  his  childhood  in  Nor 
way  ;  about  the  shells  and  conchs,  with  which  he 
played  on  the  beach,  making  believe  that  they 
were  cows  and  horses ;  about  the  fish  he  caught, 
and  the  snares  he  set  for  thrush  and  ptarmigan, 
and  the  little  mill-wheels,  made  with  his  own 
hands,  which  he  set  going  in  the  little  waterfalls 
of  brooks  and  runlets. 

No  tale  of  the  Arabian  Nights  could  have  been 
more  wonderful  to  Ishmael  than  these  simple 
narratives  of  boyish  sport.  He  longed  with  all 
his  heart  to  be  a  boy  instead  of  a  prince. 

About  a  month  after  his  engagement  as  Prince 
Ishmael's  companion,  Claude  was  summoned 
to  an  audience  with  the  Sultan.  He  could  not 
imagine  what  the  Commander  of  the  Faithful 
wanted  of  him,  and  feared  that  it  meant  some 
thing  unpleasant.  He  waited  for  half  an  hour  in 
an  anteroom  of  the  palace,  and  was  then  ushered 
into  the  presence  of  a  dark,  sad-looking  man  of 
about  forty  years,  who  wore  a  gold-embroidered 
fez  on  his  head,  and  the  breast  of  whose  coat 
was  ablaze  with  diamonds. 

"  I  wish  you  to  accept  a  reward  for  your  kind- 


ZULEIKA  5 

ness  to  Prince  Ishmael,"  said  the  Sultan,  having 
nodded  in  response  to  Claude's  respectful  greet 
ing. 

"  Kindness,  your  Majesty,  ceases  to  be  kind 
ness  when  it  is  rewarded,"  answered  the  boy. 

This  answer  seemed  to  please  the  Sultan.  He 
smiled  in  a  sad  but  friendly  way  and  said : 

"  When  you  are  older,  my  boy,  you  will  learn 
that  a  Sultan  cannot  accept  a  kindness  from  any 
man.  He  must  spoil  it  by  paying  for  it." 

"  If  that  is  so,  your  Majesty,  I  submit.  I  will 
accept  whatever  it  may  please  your  Majesty  to 
give  me." 

"  You  are  an  excellent  horseman.  How  would 
a  fine  horse  please  you?" 

"  Nothing  would  please  me  better." 

"  Then  you  may  go  to  my  stable  to-morrow, 
and  there  you  shall  select  any  horse  you  like, 
except  my  saddle-horse,  Noureddin." 

"  I  thank  your  Majesty  with  all  my  heart."    » 

The  Sultan  made  a  slight  motion  of  dismissal 
with  his  hand.  Claude  made  a  profound  bow 
and  backed  out  of  the  audience  room. 

Mudir  Pasha,  the  Sultan's  Master  of  the  Horse, 
called  on  Claude  the  next  day  and  conducted 
him  to  the  imperial  stables.  The  boy  spent  the 
entire  forenoon  examining  one  splendid  horse 
after  another,  as  it  was  led  out  before  him  and 
put  through  its  paces.  He  had  tried  many  fine 


0  NORSELAND   TALES 

horses,  and  was  half-ashamed  of  his  indecision, 
when  he  caught  sight  of  an  exquisite  animal  in  a 
box-stall  in  a  remote  corner  of  the  stable. 

"  Please  open  that  window,"  he  said  to  the 
groom,  "  and  have  the  kindness  to  lead  that 
horse  out,  so  that  I  may  look  at  it." 

From  the  glance  the  groom  exchanged  with 
the  Master  of  the  Horse  he  soon  perceived  that 
there  was  some  design  in  keeping  this  animal,  as 
far  as  possible,  out  of  sight. 

"Oh,  you  don't  want  that  vixen,"  said  the 
equerry.  "  She  is  the  most  vicious  beast  in  the 
whole  stable." 

"  Never  mind,"  Claude  replied.  "  I  should 
like  to  have  a  look  at  her  any  way.  What  is  her 
name  ?  " 

"  Zuleika." 

Zuleika  was  led  out  into  the  court-yard  before 
the  stable,  and  Claude's  heart  thrilled  at  the 
sight  of  her.  She  was  a  dapple-gray  Arabian 
mare,  not  very  large,  but  of  noble  shape,  and  with 
a  head  so  exceedingly  beautiful  that  it  was  im 
possible  to  look  at  it  without  being  filled  with 
earnest  admiration.  There  was  fire  and  intel 
ligence  in  her  black  eyes,  and  an  alertness  and 
restrained  vigor  in  the  small,  silky,  forward- 
pointed  ears,  which  showed  her  mettle. 

Her  slender  legs  were  absolutely  faultless. 
Claude  fancied  he  could  see  them  bearing  him 


ZULEIKA  7 

across  the  country  at  a  graceful  canter  or  a  long, 
striding  trot. 

He  put  his  hand  gently  on  her  shoulder 
and  limbs,  and  she  gave  a  quick  start  as  if  she  re 
sented  it.  Claude  was  greatly  pleased  with  her. 
She  was  a  princess  if  ever  there  was  one.  Never 
did  noble  blood  declare  itself  more  plainly  in 
shape  and  look  and  demeanor. 

The  shy,  resentful  glance  she  gave  him,  as  he 
ran  his  hand  down  along  her  hind-legs,  did  not 
disturb  him.  She  had  a  personality,  this  lovely 
beast,  not  the  mere  passive  docility  of  what  is 
called  a  good  horse,  but  a  sensitiveness  like  that 
of  an  intelligent  human  being. 

"  I  think  this  will  be  my  choice,"  said  Claude 
to  the  Master  of  the  Horse.  "  I'll  ride  her  home 
now,  if  you'll  kindly  lend  me  a  saddle." 

"  Don't  be  rash,  young  man,"  the  Turk  re 
plied,  with  a  malicious  laugh.  "  You'd  better 
try  the  mare  before  you  make  up  your  mind." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  boy ;  "  but  my  mind  is 
made  up  already." 

It  made  Claude  a  trifle  uneasy  to  remark  the 
by-play  of  swift  gesticulations  and  glances  which 
went  on  between  Mudir  Pasha  and  his  under 
lings  when  they  supposed  they  were  unob 
served.  It  began  to  dawn  upon  him  that  he  had 
selected  the  most  precious  horse  in  the  imperial 
stables,  and  he  knew  enough  of  the  Turkish 


8  NORSELAND   TALES 

character  to  be  aware  that  a  "  Giaour,"  or  Chris 
tian,  would  not  be  permitted  to  carry  off  such  a 
prize  if  these  men  could  prevent  it. 

He  therefore  took  the  precaution,  when  the 
mare  was  returned  to  him,  to  examine  the  buck- 
lings  of  the  various  straps  and  to  push  his  hand 
under  the  saddle. 

He  thought  for  a  moment  that  his  suspicion 
had  been  groundless.  But  as  he  inserted  his 
finger  under  the  saddle-lining,  he  felt  a  scratch, 
as  of  a  sharp  metallic  point.  A  steel  rowel, 
shaped  like  a  burr,  with  a  dozen  keen  needle 
points,  had  been  so  placed  that  the  very  instant 
he  added  his  weight  to  the  saddle  the  cruel 
needles  would  pierce  into  the  back  of  the  horse. 

Claude  had  been  too  long  in  Turkey  to  be  as 
tonished  at  this  exhibition  of  treachery.  He 
knew,  too,  the  folly  of  showing  the  manly  wrath 
which  he  felt.  With  the  utmost  coolness  he 
pulled  out  the  rowel,  and  without  the  moving  of 
a  muscle  in  his  face,  tossed  it  away. 

Having  tightened  the  saddle-girth,  he  then 
mounted  Zuleika,  and  raising  his  hat  to  the 
Master  of  the  Horse,  was  about  to  gallop  away. 

Scarcely  had  he  turned  his  head,  when  the 
riding-whip  which  the  Turk  held  in  his  hand 
whizzed  through  the  air  and  cut  with  vicious 
force  across  the  haunches  of  the  mare. 

With  a  wild  snort  Zuleika  reared,  tossed  her 


ZULEIKA  9 

head  in  the  air,  whirled  about  the  court  with 
furious  swishing  of  tail  and  clatter  of  hoofs,  and 
struck  out  madly  with  her  hind-legs ;  but  seeing 
that  her  rider  still  held  her  with  his  powerful 
knees  as  in  a  vise,  she  gave  a  bound  that  almost 
wrenched  him  from  his  seat  and  then  shot  out 
of  the  gate. 

"  He  is  a  dead  man,"  said  Mudir  Pasha  to  the 
equerry,  as  he  lighted  a  cigarette  and  flung  the 
match  on  the  pavement. 

"  Allah  is  great,"  answered  the  groom.  "  He 
will  not  let  a  Giaour  carry  off  the  pride  of  the 
Moslems." 

It  looked  for  a  while  as  if  the  Turk's  prophecy 
were  to  come  true. 

Zuleika  dashed  away  through  the  narrow, 
winding  streets  with  a  blind  and  headlong 
speed,  leaping  over  all  obstacles.  Now  she  up 
set  a  peddler's  cart,  now  she  knocked  down  a 
soldier,  and  now  she  made  havoc  in  a  pack  of 
street  dogs  that  had  congregated  at  a  corner. 

Like  a  continuous  salvo  of  musketry  sounded 
the  sharp,  furious  hoof -beats  upon  the  stone 
pavement,  as  with  outstretched  neck,  ears  laid 
back,  foaming  bit,  and  distended  nostrils  the  ex 
cited  animal  darted  away  past  shops  and  bazaars, 
past  gardens  and  villas,  and  out  into  the  open 
country. 

Now  Claude  had  the  wide  country  before  him, 


10  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

with  broad  avenues  and  little  traffic.  It  was 
simply  a  question  of  grit  and  endurance.  He 
seemed  to  perceive  a  slight  slackening  of  Zu- 
leika's  speed,  though  she  was  yet  rushing  on  at 
a  desperate  pace.  It  was  still  impossible  to 
bring  her  to  a  stop. 

On  his  left  the  shining  Bosphorus  expanded, 
like  a  burnished  mirror.  From  the  villas  along 
the  water-front  piers  ran  out  into  the  strait. 

A  daring  thought  flashed  through  Claude's 
brain.  What  if  he  gave  Zuleika  a  bath  in  the 
Bosphorus  ?  That  would  cool  her  ardor  and 
bring  her  to  her  senses,  before  she  had  run  her 
self  to  death.  With  him  to  think  was  to  do,  and 
in  a  moment  Zuleika  was  headed  for  the  water. 
She  beat  a  quick  tattoo  on  the  boards  of  a  pier, 
and  then  plunged  with  a  tremendous  splash  into 
the  Bosphorus. 

It  was  a  stratagem  for  which  she  was  wholly 
unprepared,  and  she  had  not  swum  a  dozen  rods 
before  there  was  a  sudden  relaxation  of  effort, 
and  she  quietly  turned  her  head  about  toward 
her  rider,  as  if  to  see  what  manner  of  man  he 
was. 

"  Zuleika,  my  beauty,"  he  said,  leaning  for 
ward  and  patting  her  neck,  "  it  was  not  I  who 
struck  you,  you  lovely  creature ;  no,  indeed,  it 
was  not  I." 

In  her  effort  to  turn  her  head,  Zuleika  swal- 


ZULEIKA  1 1 

lowed  some  salt  water  and  began  to  cough.  He 
soothed  her  again  and  patted  her,  talking  to  her 
as  he  would  to  a  wilful  child,  and  headed  her 
gently  for  the  shore.  But,  unhappily,  the  strong 
current  through  the  strait  was  too  much  for  the 
exhausted  animal.  Claude  perceived  that  the 
shore,  instead  of  drawing  nearer,  was  moving 
away  from  him.  Was  he  being  swept  out  to 
sea? 

With  quick  resolution  he  flung  himself  off  Zu- 
leika's  back,  and  taking  the  rein  between  his 
teeth,  swam  with  powerful  strokes  at  her  side. 

Claude  began  to  repent  of  his  recklessness. 
He  saw  unmistakable  evidence  of  exhaustion  in 
Zuleika. 

There  were  no  boats  near  by,  though  there 
were  some  not  very  far  away.  One  of  these 
seemed  to  have  caught  sight  of  him  and  to  be 
tacking  toward  him,  for  a  slight  wind  had  sprung 
up  and  swept  with  light  undulations  over  the 
smooth  strait. 

The  question  now  was  whether  Zuleika  could 
keep  afloat  until  the  boat  overtook  them.  The 
current  which  had  dealt  so  treacherously  with 
them  was  now  serving  them  well,  for  it  was 
carrying  them  in  the  very  direction  from  which 
the  boat  was  coming. 

But  Zuleika's  body  settled  deeper  in  the 
water.  She  panted  violently,  and  now  and  then 


12  NORSE  LAND  TALES 

a  very  human  groan  broke  from  the  depth  of 
her  powerful  breast. 

They  drifted  steadily  toward  the  boat.  Claude 
was  now  near  enough  to  decipher  the  crescent 
moon  in  the  imperial  arms  on  the  sails,  which 
were  of  yellow  silk.  That  was  odd,  indeed. 
There  was  no  one  in  Turkey  except  the  Sultan 
and  Prince  Ishmael  who  had  the  right  to  display 
those  arms. 

The  yacht  was  presently  within  hailing  dis 
tance,  and  a  young  man,  in  whom  he  instantly 
recognized  the  Prince,  raised  a  field-glass  to  his 
eyes  and  cried  out : 

"  Why,  it  is  Claude  !  Claude,  my  friend,  what 
are  you  doing  in  the  middle  of  the  Bosphorus?" 

"  Swimming,"  said  Claude. 

"  Do  you  want  to  be  taken  aboard  ?  " 

"  Should  not  object,  if  you  can  also  take  my 
horse." 

Prince  Ishmael  spoke  to  the  sailing-master, 
who  was  seen  to  shake  his  head. 

"  We  can't  get  the  horse  aboard,"  he  said  to 
Claude  ;  "  but  we  can  tow  him  ashore." 

"  Thank  you." 

"  But  you  come  aboard  yourself." 

"  I  can't.    I  prefer  to  keep  my  horse  company." 

Two  ropes  were  now  flung  overboard  and 
Claude  managed  to  attach  one  to  the  ring  of 
Zuleika's  bit,  while  he  secured  the  other  under 


ZULEIKA  13 

his  own  arms.  The  breeze  freshened  a  trifle  ; 
the  yacht  again  hoisted  her  sails,  which  she  had 
let  fall.  With  gentle  speed  she  towed  the  two 
swimmers  toward  a  bit  of  beach  about  a  mile 
below  where  they  had  taken  their  first  plunge. 
There  they  landed  safely. 

Claude  forgot  to  express  his  thanks  to  Prince 
Ishmael,  so  anxious  was  he  about  Zuleika's  con 
dition.  She  had  won  a  place  in  his  heart ;  their 
friendship  had  been  cemented  by  danger. 

Zuleika  trembled  like  a  leaf,  as  she  stood 
dripping  at  the  roadside,  and  Claude  did  not 
think  it  best  to  return  to  the  city  with  her  be 
fore  she  had  rested.  He  walked  her  slowly  up 
and  down.  Fortunately  the  day  was  warm  and 
sunny,  and  there  was  no  danger  of  her  catching 
cold. 

The  exquisite  beauty  of  her  head,  the  slender- 
ness  and  delicacy  of  her  form,  and  the  noble 
proportions  of  her  whole  frame  struck  him 
afresh,  as  his  eyes  lingered  fondly  at  each  detail 
of  her  perfections. 

She  steamed,  as  the  warm  rays  of  the  sun  beat 
upon  her  back  and  flanks,  and  in  a  short  time 
she  was  dry.  Claude  himself,  too,  steamed  ;  but 
his  underclothes  remained  uncomfortably  moist, 
even  though  his  coat  and  trousers  dried  rapidly. 
He  spent  the  time  in  calling  Zuleika  pet  names 
ajid  establishing  himself  in  her  friendship. 


14  NOKSELAND   TALES 

Claude,  fearing  to  attract  attention,  led  Zu- 
leika  into  the  shadow  of  a  boat-house.  Then  he 
began  to  cast  about  him  for  a  safe  means  of  re 
turning  to  the  city.  Remembering  that  Gal- 
braith  Effendi,  a  Mohammedanized  Englishman, 
and  a  friend  of  his  father,  had  his  villa  in  this 
neighborhood,  he  determined  to  avail  himself  of 
his  hospitality.  He  reached  the  Englishman's 
dwelling  and  was  cordially  received. 

A  message  was  sent  to  Colonel  Ring,  with  an 
account  of  the  morning's  adventure,  and  Zuleika 
was  tended,  waited  upon,  and  cared  for  as  if  she 
had  been  a  princess  of  royal  blood — which,  in 
fact,  she  was. 

II 

CLAUDE   AND   HIS   MARE   IN   GERMANY 

NEITHER  Claude  nor  Zuleika  suffered  any  in 
jury  from  their  experience  in  the  Bosphorus,  but 
both  had  to  keep  out  of  sight  for  a  week,  until 
the  excitement  caused  by  the  wild  ride  through 
the  city  had  subsided. 

There  was  at  one  time  a  certain  danger  of  a 
riot,  for  Mudir  Pasha,  the  Master  of  the  Horse, 
who  was  a  fanatical  Turk,  did  not  lose  this  op 
portunity  to  inflame  the  people  against  the  hated 
"  Giaours,"  who  had  already,  as  he  believed,  too 
much  influence  in  the  City  of  the  Faithful. 


ZULEIKA  15 

The  Sultan,  he  said,  was  completely  in  their 
power ;  and  now  he  had  ventured  to  insult  his 
people  by  presenting  the  most  precious  horse  in 
the  Turkish  Empire  to  a  dog  of  a  Christian  ! 

Moreover,  there  was  a  law,  always  rigidly  en 
forced,  which  forbade  the  exportation  of  Arabian 
mares.  As  long  as  this  foreign  youth,  Claude 
Ring,  remained  in  Stamboul,  his  possession  of 
Zuleika  might  perhaps  be  tolerated ;  but  if  he 
attempted  to  take  her  beyond  the  borders  of  the 
Empire,  he  must  discover  that  he  was  engaged 
in  a  dangerous  business. 

Colonel  Ring,  when  the  rumors  of  the  people's 
indignation  reached  his  ears,  made  haste  to  re 
late  to  the  Sultan  the  true  story  of  the  affair; 
and  the  Sultan,  being  satisfied  that  it  was  Mudir, 
and  not  Claude,  who  was  at  fault,  sternly  com 
manded  the  Pasha  to  refrain  from  exciting  the 
people.  He  refused  to  take  Zuleika  back,  or  to 
force  Claude  to  exchange  her  for  another  horse. 
He  had  given  his  royal  word,  which  he  would 
not  break. 

Colonel  Ring,  who  found  it  hard  to  compre 
hend  why  all  this  excitement  should  have  arisen 
about  a  horse,  now  took  pains  to  inquire  into  the 
history  and  pedigree  of  Zuleika.  He  learned 
that  she  had  been  procured  with  infinite  trouble 
as  a  colt  from  the  Gomussa  tribe  of  Arabs,  who 
cherish  their  horses  with  especial  pride,  and  that 


16  NORSELAND   TALES 

she  came  of  the  very  choicest  strain  of  the  des 
ert.  Her  pedigree  had  been  scrupulously  kept 
for  more  than  two  centuries,  and  there  was  a 
tradition  that  she  was  descended  from  the  re 
nowned  stallion  ridden  by  that  scourge  of  na 
tions,  Genghis  Khan,  in  all  his  battles. 

The  Gomussa  tribe  had  never  before  been 
willing  to  part  with  horses  of  this  strain,  because 
they  believed  that  the  sale  of  a  single  colt  would 
bring  bad  luck.  They  had  a  superstitious  faith 
in  the  virtue  and  excellence  of  these  beautiful 
animals,  and  imagined  that  their  own  star  would 
be  eclipsed  when  they  lost  exclusive  possession 
of  them. 

Claude  knew  the  Turk  well  enough  to  be 
aware  that  it  was  only  a  question  of  time  when 
he  should  lose  his  treasure  if  he  remained  in 
Stamboul.  Mudir  Pasha,  his  declared  enemy, 
was  as  unscrupulous  as  he  was  powerful. 

Claude  begged  his  father  to  give  up  his  com 
mission  in  the  Turkish  army  and  return  to  the 
lands  of  Christians  ;  but  the  Colonel  had  much 
at  heart  certain  reforms  in  the  infantry  drill 
which  he  was  trying  to  introduce,  and  would 
not  listen  to  his  son's  entreaties. 

A- year,  therefore,  passed,  during  which  Claude 
devoted  himself  chiefly  to  guarding  Zuleika  and 
keeping  her  from  harm.  He  spent,  to  be  sure, 
three  hours  with  his  tutor  every  morning,  and 


ZULEIKA  17 

rode  with  Prince  Ishmael  three  or  four  times  a 
week  ;  but  Zuleika  was  his  first  thought  when  he 
awoke  and  his  last  when  he  closed  his  eyes  in 
sleep. 

He  wisely  hesitated  to  show  off  the  mare  be 
fore  the  Prince.  Strictly  speaking,  it  was  not 
proper  for  him  to  be  better  mounted  than  the 
heir  to  the  throne  of  the  Moslems.  As  long  as 
Ishmael  had  all  he  could  do  to  keep  in  the  sad 
dle  it  did  not  matter  much ;  but  now,  thanks  to 
Claude's  example  and  teaching,  he  had  not  only 
acquired  fair  skill  in  riding,  but  there  was  a  cer 
tain  military  swing  in  his  bearing,  and  he  con 
versed  with  perfect  ease  while  cantering  over 
the  smooth  roads  at  a  rattling  pace. 

The  Prince's  mother  and  head-tutor  were  de 
lighted  with  the  improvement  in  him,  and  his 
mother  sent  Claude  costly  presents,  which  he  was 
obliged  to  accept.  What  to  do  with  all  the 
jewelry  he  accumulated  became,  after  a  while,  a 
problem.  He  could  not  sell  the  gifts  of  a  sul 
tana,  nor  could  he,  according  to  European  no 
tions,  wear  them  upon  his  person  without  mak 
ing  himself  ridiculous.  One  day  Prince  Ishmael 
met  Claude  as  he  was  riding  Zuleika  on  a  re 
tired  road  outside  the  capital. 

"  That's  a  fine  raking  mare  you  have  got," 
said  the  Prince. 

He  had  never  before  appeared  to  be  aware  of 


1 8  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

Zuleika's  existence,  and  as  he  was  not  very  ob 
serving-,  this  had  not  surprised  his  friend. 

"  I  am  glad  you  think  so,  Prince,"  was  Claude's 
careless  reply.  "  I  think  myself  she  is  a  fine 
beast.  She  has  a  good,  light  pace  and  easy 
action." 

"  She  is  a  trifle  ragged-hipped,"  said  Ishmael, 
scanning  the  mare  curiously. 

"  I  beg  your  Highness's  pardon !  "  cried  the 
hot-headed  Claude,  forgetting  all  his  prudence. 
"  She  is  as  smooth  as  satin,  and  there  isn't  a  flaw 
in  her  whole  beautiful  body." 

The  words  had  scarcely  escaped  from  his 
mouth  before  he  felt  how  foolish  they  were  ; 
but  then  he  could  not  bear  to  have  anyone  find 
fault  with  Zuleika,  and  the  incautious  praise 
sprang  to  his  lips  before  he  could  weigh  its  con 
sequences. 

"  How  much  will  you  take  for  her?"  inquired 
the  Prince,  who  was  more  impressed  by  the 
ardor  of  Claude's  speech  than  by  the  fine  points 
of  the  mare. 

"  If  your  Highness  will  pardon  me,"  answered 
Claude,  "  I  should  not  willingly  consent  to  sell 
her,  because  I  am  very  fond  of  her." 

Ishmael's  face  darkened,  and  he  looked  away 
with  a  cloudy  brow.  He  was  not  accustomed  to 
being  crossed  in  his  wishes.  Claude  rode  in 
silent  apprehension  at  his  side. 


ZULEIKA  19 

"  It  is  not  fair  ! "  began  the  Prince,  moodily, 
turning  his  swarthy  face  to  his  companion.  "  It 
is  not  proper  that  you  should  have  a  better 
mount  than  I.  I  will  pay  you  any  reasonable 
price  you  may  ask  for  your  mare,  but  I  want 
you  to  make  no  difficulty  about  it.  Do  you 
understand  ?  " 

"  I  understand,  Prince,"  murmured  Claude. 

He  was  about  to  add  something  more,  but 
happily  restrained  himself  in  time. 

But  the  world  looked  no  longer  the  same  to 
him.  The  brightness  had  gone  out  of  the  sun 
shine,  and  the  song  of  the  birds  beat  upon  his 
ears  with  a  weary  and  stale  monotony.  To  op 
pose  the  Prince,  if  he  had  really  made  up  his 
mind  to  possess  Zuleika,  was  simply  madness; 
but  to  part  with  Zuleika  in  order  to  gratify  an 
idle  whim  of  a  pampered  favorite  of  fortune  was 
more  than  he  could  bear.  Claude  rode  home  in 
bad  humor  and  told  his  father  what  had  oc 
curred. 

"  My  dear  boy,"  said  Colonel  Ring,  "  you'll 
have  to  give  up  your  mare  or  leave  the  Turkish 
Empire.  The  Prince  will  be  sure  to  get  the 
better  of  you." 

"  I  would  rather  lose  my  life  than  lose  Zu 
leika  ! "  cried  Claude,  hotly. 

"  That  is  foolish  talk,  Claude,"  said  his  father, 
with  grave  kindliness.  "  1  can  well  understand 


2O  NORSELAND   TALES 

your  feelings  for  Zuleika,  but  you  are  old  enough 
now  to  consult  your  reason  rather  than  a  blind 
impulse.  You  know  I  cannot  leave  the  Sultan's 
service  at  the  present  time,  and  you  have  always 
refused  to  go  without  me,  although  I  have  urged 
you  again  and  again  to  enter  the  military  acad 
emy  at  Lichterfelde." 

"  I'll  go  now,  if  you'll  let  me  take  Zuleika  with 
me  !  "  ejaculated  the  boy,  eagerly. 

"  Am  I  to  understand  that  you  care  more  for 
your  horse  than  you  do  for  your  father  ?  "  asked 
the  Colonel. 

"  No,  father,"  answered  Claude,  warmly.  "  But 
it  is  not  a  question  of  losing  you,  as  it  is  with 
Zuleika.  You'll  join  me  soon,  and  then  we  shall 
both  be  happier  than  we  ever  could  be  here, 
where  all  foreigners  are  hated  and  despised." 

Claude  obtained  his  father's  permission  to 
start  that  very  night  for  Athens.  The  Colonel 
knew  well  the  captain  of  a  Greek  steamer  which 
sailed  early  the  next  morning,  and  he  agreed  to 
assist  his  son  in  getting  Zuleika  aboard  before 
daylight. 

Claude  packed  his  trunk  in  haste,  and  rousing 
his  German  groom,  accompanied  him  to  the 
stable. 

Zuleika,  when  she  heard  her  master's  voice, 
greeted  him  with  a  friendly  neigh.  She  was 
standing  quietly  in  her  roomy  box-stall,  and  her 


ZULEIKA  21 

beautiful  head  was  lifted  over  the  railing,  while 
her  dark  eyes  peered  with  eager  surprise  through 
the  dusk  which  the  light  of  the  lantern  dimly 
penetrated. 

Claude  found  a  lump  of  sugar  in  his  pocket, 
and  in  order  not  to  excite  the  mare  by  his  un 
timely  visit,  stood  by  her  and  patted  her  on  the 
neck  while  she  ate  the  sugar. 

"  We  are  going  travelling,  you  and  I,  Zuleika 
dear,"  he  said,  after  a  while,  "  and  now  I  want 
you  to  get  on  your  hooded  overcoat  and  your 
whole  travelling  costume,." 

He  ordered  the  groom  to  draw  the  hood  over 
her  head,  and  the  blanket,  which  was  of  one  piece 
with  the  hood,  covered  all  the  rest  of  her  body 
except  her  legs  below  the  knees.  She  was  so 
completely  disguised  that  her  own  master  would 
not  have  recognized  her  if  he  had  met  her  else 
where.  Only  her  black  eyes  were  visible,  gazing 
through  the  eye-holes  bordered  with  red. 

"  Now,"  said  Claude  to  the  groom,  "  you  may 
prepare  a  carriage,  and  as  soon  as  my  father  and 
I  start,  you  will  ride  Zuleika  slowly  behind  us." 

The  groom  obeyed  promptly.  Within  an 
hour  all  the  preparations  for  the  journey  were 
completed. 

It  was  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
and  the  weather  was  fair.  There  was  still  a  little 
traffic  in  the  streets,  and  the  inconspicuous  car- 


22  NORSELAND   TALES 

riage  and  the  hooded  horse,  therefore,  attracted 
no  attention.  It  was  a  common  thing  for  people 
to  drive  in  the  evening,  and  for  grooms  to  ex 
ercise  their  horses  in  the  cool  night  air. 

In  half  an  hour  they  had  reached  the  quays, 
and  drove  out  on  a  pier  to  which  the  Greek 
steamer  was  moored.  A  Turkish  custom-house 
officer  who  sat  cross-legged,  with  a  long  pipe  in  his 
mouth,  close  to  the  gangway,  proved  to  be  fast 
asleep  ;  and  Zuleika  was  led  aboard  without  so 
much  as  being  challenged. 

Luck  had  attended  him  so  far,  and  Claude  was 
in  high  spirits.  His  father  had  spent  the  night 
in  the  saloon  of  the  steamer,  giving  his  son  good 
advice,  and  writing  letters  of  introduction  to 
some  of  his  best  friends  in  Germany. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  as  the  whistle 
was  blowing  for  the  last  time,  the  Colonel  took 
leave  of  his  son.  Claude  and  Zuleika  reached 
Athens  in  safety,  and  made  their  way  thence  by 
steamer  to  Palermo  and  Marseilles,  and  thence 
by  rail  to  Paris. 

No  sooner  had  he  appeared  in  the  Bois  de 
Boulogne  with  Zuleika  than  he  found  himself  a 
personage  of  importance,  and  was  approached 
with  a  dozen  offers  of  the  most  extravagant 
kind  for  the  mare. 

Much  embarrassed  by  the  attention  he  at 
tracted,  and  fearful  that  the  Turkish  embassy 


ZULEIKA  23 

would  hear  of  the  mare,  Claude  hastened  across 
the  Rhine  into  Germany,  and  to  Lichterfelde. 
There  he  passed  his  entrance  examination  to  the 
military  academy. 

He  was  now  obliged  to  appear  in  the  costume 
of  a  Prussian  cadet,  and  to  submit  himself  to  dis 
cipline  ;  and  to  a  boy  of  Claude's  disposition 
who  had  had  his  own  way  in  most  things,  the 
inflexible  rules  and  the  harsh  tone  of  com 
mand  which  prevailed  in  this  school  of  Spar 
tan  simplicity  and  sternness  were  doubly  hard 
to  bear. 

He  was  thoroughly  homesick,  and  in  moments 
of  loneliness  often  wished  that  he  had  not  so 
rashly  given  up  the  companionship  of  his  dear 
and  affectionate  father. 

The  only  consolation  he  had  in  his  solitude 
was  Zuleika.  Nearly  all  the  time  he  could  spare 
from  his  duties  he  spent  with  her.  Though  he 
was  not  a  noble,  like  so  many  of  his  comrades, 
he  was  by  special  permission  granted  leave  to 
keep  a  horse. 

It  was  entirely  owing  to  Zuleika  that  Claude 
found  himself  again  a  person  of  distinction  the 
moment  he  appeared  on  horseback.  People 
stopped  all  along  the  sidewalks  to  gaze  at  him, 
as  he  made  Zuleika  dance  away  over  the  ground 
with  a  pace  so  light  and  dainty  that  it  seemed  the 
very  spirit  of  airy  speed  and  grace. 


24  NORSELAND   TALES 

"  What  a  beautiful  creature ! "  exclaimed  the 
ladies,  enthusiastically. 

"  And  how  superbly  the  fellow  rides,"  ejacu 
lated  others ;  "  he  sits  in  the  saddle  as  if  he  were 
born  in  it." 

"  The  young  man  is  an  Arab,"  an  officious 
person  explained.  "  That  is  the  reason  he  rides 
so  well.  His  father  is  an  Arab  sheik,  and  this 
mare  is  his  chief  treasure ;  and  so  to  speak,  a 
friend  of  the  family.  For  you  know  the  Arabs 
associate  with  their  horses  as  we  do  with  our 
friends ;  call  upon  them,  invite  them  to  tea,  and 
drink  a  glass  with  them." 

Claude  heard  only  part  of  this  explanation, 
and  it  amused  him  exceedingly.  He  did  not 
object  particularly  to  being  taken  for  an  Arab ; 
and  that  Zuleika  was  his  friend  he  never  would 
have  thought  of  denying. 

Early  in  the  morning,  before  eating  his  break 
fast,  he  went  to  the  stable  to  pet  her,  talk  to  her, 
and  inquire  for  her  health.  No  sooner  did  Zu 
leika  hear  his  footsteps  without  than  she  whinnied 
toward  him  her  joyous  greeting.  Long  before 
he  spoke,  she  felt  by  instinct  his  approach,  and  it 
was  touching  to  see  the  eagerness  with  which 
she  lifted  her  lovely  head  to  catch  the  first 
glimpse  of  him  when  he  opened  the  stable  door. 

She  sulked  if  she  was  neglected,  and  she  was 
extremely  jealous.  Once,  when  Claude,  instead 


ZULEIKA  25 

of  going  straight  toward  her,  as  was  his  wont, 
stopped  to  speak  to  the  groom  and  incidentally 
patted  another  horse,  she  turned  impulsively 
about  in  her  box-stall,  and  made  no  response  to 
his  advances,  except  an  angry  whisking  of  her 
tail.  Two  days  passed  before  he  regained  her 
favor. 

Claude  attached  himself  with  his  whole  heart 
to  this  beautiful  and  intelligent  creature.  His 
fellow  cadets  called  him  "  the  Arab,"  because  of 
his  devotion  to  Zuleika. 

The  story  was  told  by  some  wag  that  he  kissed 
her  good-morning  and  good-night,  and  had  his 
breakfast  served  in  the  stable  with  her.  The 
latter  was,  to  be  sure,  a  pure  invention,  but  the 
former  had  some  slight  foundation  in  fact.  For 
Zulieka  had  learned,  whenever  Claude  said  "  Kiss 
me,"  to  touch  his  face  with  her  soft  nose,  and 
when  he  said,  "  Pat  me,"  gently  to  rub  her  head 
against  his  cheeks. 

A  year  passed  rapidly.  Claude  made  many 
friends  in  the  military  academy.  He  took  good- 
naturedly  all  the  banter  of  his  comrades.  All  the 
extravagant  offers  he  received  for  Zuleika  he 
refused,  declaring  freely  that  no  money  could 
buy  her. 

A  year  after  Claude's  departure,  Colonel  Ring 
resigned  his  commission  in  the  Turkish  army, 


26  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

receiving  at  the  same  time  the  honors  due  to  his 
service.  He  had  taken  good  care  not  to  divulge 
Claude's  place  of  residence,  and  had  even  had  his 
letters  addressed  to  Galbraith  Effendi. 

He  had  found  the  separation  very  hard,  and 
was  eager  to  see  his  son.  As  soon,  therefore,  as 
he  had  made  his  farewell  visit  to  the  Sultan,  he 
started  by  rail  for  Vienna,  and  thence  to  Berlin, 
where  Claude  had  leave  to  meet  him. 

It  seemed  to  him  that,  at  a  station  where  the 
train  stopped  for  dinner,  he  caught  sight  of  the 
squat  figure  and  dark  beard  and  features  of 
Mudir  Pasha,  the  Sultan's  Master  of  the  Horse. 
He  wondered  what  this  surly  Turk  was  doing 
in  Germany,  and  concluded  that  he  had  been 
sent  abroad  _o  buy  horses  for  the  army.  The 
Colonel  had  no  desire  to  renew  his  acquaintance 
with  him,  and  therefore  appeared  not  to  see  him. 

After  the  train  was  well  under  way,  it  occurred 
to  him  as  a  curious  thing  that  Mudir  was  dressed 
in  European  costume,  even  dispensing  with  the 
fez — which  in  an  orthodox,  old-fashioned  Turk 
was  rather  extraordinary. 

The  Colonel  soon  fell  into  a  pleasanter  train  of 
thought,  as  he  rolled  northward  toward  Berlin. 

There  is  no  need  of  describing  the  happy 
meeting  between  father  and  son.  It  was  late 
when  they  thought  of  retiring,  and  late  when 
they  had  finished  breakfast  the  next  morning. 


ZULEIKA  27 

Claude  rose  with  a  sudden  pang,  before  he 
had  finished  his  meal.  It  was  the  first  time  in 
his  life  that  he  had  forgotten  Zuleika. 

"  Excuse  me,  father,"  he  said,  hurriedly ;  "  I'll 
be  back  in  five  minutes." 

He  rushed,  with  a  nameless  oppression,  to  the 
stable  of  the  hotel. 

Ah  !  to  be  sure,  there  stood  Zuleika,  as  usual. 
But  she  was  in  a  pet,  of  course,  at  having  been 
forgotten.  She  gave  him  no  greeting,  nor  did 
she  even  turn  her  head  to  look  at  him.  Claude 
did  not  wonder. 

"  Don't  sulk  now,  Zuleika,"  he  said,  in  his  most 
cajoling  tones.  "  Come  here  and  let  me  talk  to 
you.  You  know  father  has  come " 

The  mare  stood  as  stolid  as  a  post,  munching 
her  oats,  and  betrayed  not  even  by  a  look  or  a 
pricking  up  of  her  ears,  or  an  extra  whisking  of 
her  tail,  that  she  heard  Claude's  voice. 

Claude's  heart  sank  within  him.  He  felt  as  if 
a  great  calamity  had  overtaken  him.  He  seized 
a  hay-fork  and  thrust  open  the  two  shutters 
which  covered  the  windows.  The  light  poured 
in. 

Then  with  a  slow,  deliberate  motion  the  mare 
turned  her  head;  but  what  was  that?  Surely 
that  was  not  Zuleika's  head ! 

Claude  leaped  over  the  railing,  unhooked 
the  door,  and  pulled  the  mare  out  into  the  full 


28  NORSELAND   TALES 

glare  of  the  daylight.  He  felt  chilly  and  half- 
benumbed. 

He  tied  the  mare  to  the  stable  door  and  stared 
straight  into  her  face.  She  made  no  response. 
Could  he  trust  his  eyes?  It  was  not  Zuleika! 
Someone  had  stolen  his  treasure  in  the  night 
and  substituted  this  dull  beast,  which  was  out 
wardly  not  unlike  her,  but  lacked  her  airy  grace, 
her  fiery  spirit,  and  her  perfect  beauty. 

Claude  had  still  a  vague  hope  that  he  might  be 
dreaming,  and  that  he  would  presently  wake  and 
find  that  it  was  all  a  horrible  mistake. 

But  he  was  indeed  awake.  The  dapple-gray 
mare  did  not  become  Zuleika.  His  mare  was 
gone. 

Ill 

CLAUDE   RECOVERS   HIS  OWN 

IT  was  plain  to  anyone  who  knew  Zuleika  well 
that  the  mare  which  stood  before  Claude  was  not 
the  splendid  animal  which  he  had  brought  from 
Constantinople  with  so  much  trouble.  In  his 
agitation  he  could  form  no  idea  how  the  substi 
tution  had  taken  place. 

Without  stopping  to  thrust  the  gray  mare 
back  into  her  box,  Claude  ran  out  into  the  stable 
yard,  and,  in  a  hoarse  and  unsteady  voice,  called 
his  groom. 


ZULEIKA  29 

In  a  moment  the  man  came  running  out  of  the 
hotel,  his  absence  even  at  that  moment  indicating 
that  he  had  not  been  very  diligent  in  his  at 
tendance. 

"  Where  is  Zuleika  ?  "  cried  Claude. 

The  man  stared  stupidly  at  the  mare,  who  had 
not  stirred  from  the  spot  where  Claude  left  her. 

"  Surely,  this  is  Zuleika,  sir,"  answered  the 
groom. 

"  Don't  dare  to  tell  me  that !  Have  you  no 
eyes  ?  Who  has  been  here  since  last  night?" 

"  No  one  has  been  here  that  I  know  of." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  Zuleika  has  walked 
off  and  left  this  substitute  in  her  place  without 
your  knowing  it  ?  " 

"  I  know  nothing  about  it,  sir." 

Claude  could  not  make  out  from  the  man's 
manner  whether  he  was  telling  the  truth  or  not. 
He  had  a  suspicion  that  he  had  been  bribed  to 
allow  the  exchange  ;  but  if  so,  he  was  feigning 
innocence  very  cleverly. 

There  were  grooms  in  the  stable  during  the 
entire  night ;  there  was  no  evidence  that  the 
lock  had  been  forced  or  picked.  A  skilful  burg 
lar  might,  however,  have  picked  so  simple  a  lock 
without  leaving  any  sign  that  it  had  been  tam 
pered  with. 

Dismayed  and  heartsick,  Claude  walked  back 
to  the  dining-room  and  told  his  father  of  Zu- 


30  NORSELAND   TALES 

leika's  disappearance.  The  Colonel  listened  for 
a  while  in  silence ;  then  a  ray  of  light  suddenly 
broke  across  his  face.  He  jumped  up  with  a 
vehement  gesture,  and  cried  : 

"  That  scoundrel,  Mudir,  has  done  it ! " 

"Mudir  Pasha?" 

"  Yes.  He  followed  me  northward.  I  saw 
him  on  the  train,  but  it  did  not  occur  to  me  then 
that  he  was  tracking  me  in  order  to  find  you.  I 
supposed  he  had  gone  north  to  buy  horses.  It  is 
Prince  Ishmael  who  has  sent  him.  You  know 
he  was  terribly  angry  when  you  left,  and  he 
swore  to  get  Zuleika,  no  matter  where  she  was." 

"  Then  Zuleika  is  now  on  the  road  to  Constan 
tinople  ?  " 

"  Undoubtedly." 

"  And  I  am  going  to  Constantinople  after  her, 
unless  I  can  catch  her  on  the  way." 

"  Well,  I  am  going  with  you.  A  fraud,  a  theft 
like  this,  is  more  than  I  can  stand.  Such  villany 
must  be  punished." 

It  was  a  gratification  to  Claude  to  find  his 
father  scarcely  less  incensed  than  he  was  him 
self,  for  when  the  Colonel  started  to  do  a 
thing,  he  seldom  allowed  any  obstacle  to  defeat 
him. 

Both  packed  their  hand-trunks  in  haste  and 
drove  to  the  Anhalt  station.  An  express  train 
was  to  leave  at  ten  o'clock,  and  Claude  employed 


ZULEIKA  31 

the  fifteen  minutes  he  had  to  spare  before  the 
departure  of  this  train  in  asking  questions  rela 
tive  to  Zuleika  of  brakemen,  conductors,  and 
freight  agents. 

He  ascertained,  beyond  a  doubt,  that  Mudir 
Pasha  had  started  with  the  Arabian  mare  by  a 
freight  train  which  left  at  six  o'clock,  and  which 
would  be  overtaken  by  the  express  at  Dresden 
in  the  afternoon.  Unless  he  had  taken  the  pre 
caution  to  get  off  at  a  way-station,  or  unless 
some  accident  happened,  they  would  therefore 
be  certain  to  catch  him ;  and  they  had  no  doubt 
that  they  might  rely  upon  German  justice  to  do 
its  work  surely,  if  slowly. 

Both  Claude  and  the  Colonel,  while  speeding 
southward,  gathered  all  the  information  they 
could  from  train-hands  and  station-masters,  in 
order  not  to  lose  track  of  the  Turk.  They  be 
came  convinced  before  they  reached  Dresden 
that  Mudir  had  regarded  extra  precautions  as 
unnecessary,  and  was  taking  the  straight  road 
southward  to  the  Ottoman  dominions. 

At  the  great  station  in  Dresden,  where  they 
arrived  at  two  o'clock,  Colonel  Ring  and  his  son, 
having  obtained  a  permit,  made  their  way  with 
difficulty  among  the  network  of  tracks  and  the 
puffing  engines. 

After  five  minutes'  search  they  found  a  box 
car  with  an  open  grating  for  ventilation  at  the 


32  NORSELAND    TALES 

top,  and  stopping  to  listen,  they  heard  distinctly 
the  stamping  of  a  horse's  hoofs. 

"  Zuleika,  my  beauty ! "  Claude  cried,  in  a 
cajoling  and  tender  tone.  Instantly  there  came 
a  wild  whinny  from  within  the  car,  followed  by 
plunging  and  stamping. 

"  Zuleika !  Zuleika,  my  beauty  !  "  he  called 
again,  whereupon  there  was  a  fresh  tattoo  of 
excited  hoof-beats,  and  Zuleika's  head  appeared 
at  the  grating. 

A  piercing  whinny,  which  was  rather  a  scream 
of  pain  and  impatience,  echoed  under  the  wide 
rotunda  of  the  station. 

Claude  felt  as  if  his  heart  would  break.  With 
a  tremendous  wrench  he  tried  to  pull  the  sliding 
door  aside ;  but  it  was  locked. 

"  Patience,  my  son,  patience  !  "  said  his  father. 
"  Do  nothing  rash,  or  you'll  spoil  everything." 

A  surprised  exclamation  and  a  slam  as  of  a 
bench  that  was  upset  were  heard  from  an  ad 
joining  car,  and  in  another  moment  Mudir 
Pasha  burst  through  the  door  and  tumbled 
down  the  steps,  followed  by  two  railroad  em 
ployees. 

"  Thieves !  "  he  yelled,  in  broken  German, 
as  soon  as  he  saw  Claude  and  the  Colonel. 
"Thieves!  Robbers!  I  demand  their  arrest 
instantly ! " 

His  coarse  face  was  scarlet  with  anger  and 


ZULEIKA  33 

alarm.  Two  or  three  of  the  officers  at  the  station 
came  hastening  up. 

"  It  is  I  who  demand  this  man's  arrest,"  said 
Colonel  Ring,  calmly.  "  He  has  stolen  my  son's 
horse.  And  I  tell  you,"  he  exclaimed,  turning  to 
Mudir,  "  that  you  shall  not  escape  from  this  place 
until  you  have  given  up  Zuleika! " 

"  You  think  to  bully  me,"  Mudir  muttered  in 
Turkish,  glowering  at  the  Colonel,  "  but  if  you 
dare  interfere  with  me,  I  warn  you  it  will  go  ill 
with  you  !  " 

Colonel  Ring  turned  to  the  officials,  and  said, 
frankly  and  calmly,  in  German  : 

"  I  demand  of  you,  gentlemen,  that  you  keep 
this  man  in  your  custody  until  I  can  procure  a 
warrant  for  his  arrest.  He  has  stolen  the  dapple- 
gray  Arabian  mare  which  is  locked  up  in  this 
car,  and  I  shall  hold  you  responsible  for  the 
safety  both  of  the  horse  and  the  man  until  I  re 
turn,  which  will  be  in  an  hour." 

He  spoke  politely,  but  as  one  who  was  accus 
tomed  to  command.  He  wore  now  the  uniform 
of  an  officer  in  the  Norwegian  army,  for  he  had 
been  allowed  to  retain  his  rank  in  the  army  of 
his  own  country.  This  uniform,  with  the  rib 
bons  of  many  orders  on  his  breast,  did  not  fail  of 
its  effect  upon  the  railroad  officials. 

Mudir,  it  was  evident,  was  a  coarse  fellow, 
who  might  be  capable  of  anything,  while  his 
3 


34  NORSELAND   TALES 

accuser's  appearance  showed  that  he  was  a  man 
of  authority  and  rank. 

They  promised  to  keep  Mudir  for  an  hour,  and 
not  to  allow  him  to  take  the  horse  away.  To 
make  assurance  doubly  sure,  Claude  remained  at 
the  station,  now  and  then  speaking  to  Zuleika 
through  the  grating,  while  his  father  went  in 
search  of  the  police. 

It  occurred  to  Colonel  Ring,  when  he  had 
sworn  out  a  warrant  for  Mudir's  arrest,  that  his 
former  acquaintance  with  the  King  of  Saxony, 
whose  cicerone  he  had  been  during  a  visit  to 
Constantinople,  might  now  stand  him  in  good 
stead.  He  therefore  wrote  a  letter  to  the  court 
marshal,  asking  for  an  audience  on  the  following 
day. 

Mudir,  after  fuming  and  storming  in  vain  for 
half  an  hour,  telegraphed  to  the  Turkish  ambas 
sador  in  Berlin,  and  then  sat  down  to  wait.  He 
was  not  treated  as  a  common  prisoner,  but 
forcibly  detained,  and  kept  under  guard  in  a 
hotel. 

Zuleika  was  taken  from  the  railroad  car  and 
lodged  in  a  stable  under  the  custody  of  the 
police.  Claude,  though  he  longed  to  pet  her, 
was  not  allowed  to  approach  her,  and  he  walked 
about  in  a  state  of  feverish  impatience  and 
misery,  knocking  the  scabbard  of  his  sword 
against  the  furniture,  tracing  faces  and  animals 


ZULEIKA  35 

in  the  pattern  of  the  wall-paper,  and  drinking 
soda-water,  which  he  did  not  want,  from  sheer 
desperation. 

The  matter  was  taken  before  a  magistrate,  and 
the  examination  of  Mudir  was  set  for  the  next 
day.  Knowing  how  slow  and  thorough  German 
justice  is  in  its  operations,  Claude  was  prepared 
to  spend  a  week,  if  not  a  month,  in  Dresden 
before  Zuleika  was  restored  to  him.  In  the 
meanwhile,  in  order  to  leave  nothing  to  chance, 
he  telegraphed  to  his  groom  to  come  on  with  the 
false  Zuleika  by  the  next  train,  and  called  upon 
one  of  his  classmates,  Cadet  Schwerin,  who 
knew  Zuleika  well,  and  might  be  valuable  as  a 
witness. 

The  next  day,  as  he  was  preparing  to  attend 
the  trial,  the  Colonel  received  a  message  from 
the  court  marshal,  stating  that  the  king  would 
grant  him  an  audience  that  very  morning  at 
eleven  o'clock.  He  hastened  to  the  court,  and 
asked  that  the  trial  be  postponed  until  the  after 
noon;  but  the  Turkish  ambassador  had  already 
arrived  from  Berlin,  and  could  not  stay  long. 
Mudir  insisted  upon  an  immediate  trial  of  his 
case,  and  the  magistrate  denied  the  request  for 
delay. 

The  Colonel  wished  heartily  that  he  had  been 
in  less  haste  to  renew  his  acquaintance  with  the 
king,  for  now  he  was  obliged  to  be  absent  from 


36  NORSELAND   TALES 

the  trial,  where  his  presence  was  greatly  needed. 
However,  he  could  not  break  an  engagement 
with  the  king  without  damaging  his  case  and 
cutting  off  his  chance  of  appeal  in  case  of  an  un 
favorable  decision. 

With  a  heavy  heart  he  arrayed  himself  in  his 
gala  uniform  and  went  to  the  royal  palace, 
where  the  sentinels  presented  arms  to  him. 

He  waited  a  full  hour  in  an  anteroom,  and  was 
not  a  little  startled  when  the  Turkish  ambassador 
was  bowed  out  from  the  royal  presence  by  two 
gold-laced  chamberlains.  It  was  now  his  turn ; 
but  he  felt,  for  the  moment,  that  the  Turk  had 
been  too  clever  for  him,  and  that  his  chances  of 
setting  his  case  right  were  not  promising. 

The  king  received  him  kindly,  and  after  the 
usual  polite  formalities,  gave  him  the  desired 
opportunity  to  mention  his  errand. 

The  Colonel  described  his  son's  affection  for 
Zuleika  and  Zuleika's  love  for  him  ;  he  referred 
to  Prince  Ishmael's  offer  to  buy  the  mare,  and 
his  anger  when  Claude  refused  to  sell  her,  and 
finally  expressed  his  conviction  that  Mudir  had 
been  sent  on  by  the  Prince  to  steal  the  mare,  or 
what  amounted  to  the  same  thing,  exchange  for 
her  an  inferior  animal,  not  pure  Arabian. 

The  Colonel  warmed  up,  as  he  proceeded  in 
his  narrative,  and  the  king  became  intensely 
interested.  He  asked  some  questions  about  Zu- 


ZULEIKA  37 

leika  and  her  false  double,  and  finally  begged 
the  Colonel  to  accompany  him  on  horseback, 
and  let  him  see  the  two  mares. 

"  I  have  a  good  mind  to  play  Haroun  al 
Raschid  on  a  small  scale,"  he  said,  laughing.  "  If 
the  decision  of  the  court  goes  against  you,  you 
must  appeal,  and  I'll  deliver  myself  of  a  Solo- 
monian  judgment." 

Meanwhile,  things  had  taken  a  bad  turn  in  the 
court-room.  The  judge  reasoned  with  great 
acuteness  "  in  the  air ;  "  but  it  did  not  occur  to 
him  to  look  at  the  two  mares  and  compare  their 
merits.  Very  likely  the  testimony  of  the  ambas 
sador,  who  swore  to  Mudir's  high  rank  and  ex 
cellent  character,  outweighed  with  him  all  the 
evidence  on  Claude's  side.  Moreover  the  groom, 
when  he  was  put  on  the  stand,  greatly  damaged 
his  master's  case  by  refusing  to  swear  that  any 
exchange  had  taken  place.  He  was  in  doubt,  he 
said ;  he  did  not  think  anyone  could  take  a 
horse  out  of  the  stable  without  his  knowing  it. 

This  settled  the  matter,  as  far  as  the  judge 
was  concerned  ;  and  neither  Claude's  nor  Cadet 
Schwerin's  testimony,  which  was  equally  posi 
tive  on  the  other  side,  could  change  his  convic 
tion.  It  was  a  case  of  hallucination,  he  thought, 
or  of  mistaken  identity. 

He  therefore  determined  to  order  the  release 
of  Zuleika,  give  Mudir  full  liberty  to  proceed  on 


38  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

his  way,  and  apologize  for  having  detained  him. 
He  was  about  to  pronounce  this  judgment,  when 
a  messenger  arrived  from  the  king,  bearing  a 
large  envelope.  The  magistrate  hastily  broke 
the  seal  and  read  the  contents. 

The  letter  commanded  him  to  adjourn  his 
court,  and  irrespective  of  his  decision,  to  pro 
ceed,  with  the  parties  to  the  case  and  the  wit 
nesses,  to  the  parade  grounds  outside  the  city. 

With  a  solemn  voice  the  judge  read  this  mes 
sage  in  the  court-room,  and  expressed  his  aston 
ishment  to  Mudir  and  the  ambassador.  But,  he 
said,  immediate  obedience  to  the  king's  wishes 
was  necessary. 

Accordingly,  the  court,  the  officers,  and  the 
witnesses  proceeded  in  carriages  to  the  parade 
grounds,  where  they  found  Claude  and  Cadet 
Schwerin,  and  a  battalion  of  soldiers  drilling. 

At  about  three  o'clock  a  royal  carriage,  pre 
ceded  by  outriders,  was  seen  approaching,  and  the 
magistrate,  Mudir,  and  the  ambassador  hastened 
to  pay  their  respects. 

They  were  not  a  little  surprised  to  see  Colonel 
Ring  seated  in  the  king's  carriage,  in  conversa 
tion  with  His  Majesty. 

"  Your  Excellency,"  said  the  king,  turning  to 
the  ambassador,  "  I  think  in  a  case  of  this  kind 
the  horse  is  the  better  judge  who  is  its  master. 
Let  Mudir  Pasha  and  Cadet  Ring  place  them- 


ZULEIKA  39 

selves  about  fifty  yards  apart,  at  the  upper  end 
of  the  parade  grounds.  Then  the  two  horses, 
the  ownership  of  which  is  in  dispute,  shall  be  led 
up  to  within  a  distance  of  two  hundred  yards  of 
both,  and  loosed.  I  shall  be  much  astonished  if 
Cadet  Ring's  does  not  seek  its  master." 

The  Turk  did  not  dare  to  object  to  this  plan, 
though  he  disliked  it  exceedingly.  Claude  ac 
cepted  it  eagerly.  After  the  dreadful  depres 
sion  and  sense  of  outrage  which  had  possessed 
him  in  the  court-room,  his  spirits  suddenly  re 
vived.  Zuleika  would  not  fail  to  greet  him  ! 

Zuleika  came  forward,  led  by  a  royal  groom. 
What  spring  there  was  in  her  step,  what  grace 
in  her  motion,  what  nobility  in  the  slight  curve 
of  her  neck  and  the  shape  of  her  head !  And 
what  a  commonplace-looking  animal  the  other 
dapple-gray  mare  was,  in  spite  of  the  outward 
resemblance.  She  stepped  well,  to  be  sure, 
and  was  handsomely  shaped ;  but  all  the  finer 
points  which  distinguished  Zuleika  her  rival 
lacked. 

An  officer  of  the  royal  guard  received  the  two 
horses  from  the  groom,  and  for  a  while  he  had 
very  hard  work  to  hold  them.  They  pranced 
and  reared,  and  lifted  him  off  the  ground  again 
and  again. 

He  managed  at  last  to  make  a  sign  to  Claude, 
•who  stationed  himself  at  the  place  which  the 


4O  NORSELAND   TALES 

king  had  designated.  Mudir  Pasha  also  dragged 
himself  forward  with  visible  reluctance,  and 
came  to  a  stop  about  fifty  yards  from  where  the 
young  cadet  was  standing. 

The  king  gave  a  sign  to  the  officer,  and  the 
two  horses  trotted  away  over  the  parade  ground 
with  a  proud,  elastic  step.  Presently  both  came 
to  a  standstill ;  the  false  Zuleika  kicked  up  her 
heels  and  lay  down  to  roll ;  but  the  true  Zuleika 
lifted  her  head,  gazed  to  the  right  and  to  the  left, 
and  then  with  a  wild,  joyous  whinny  ran  straight 
toward  Claude. 

She  rubbed  her  nose  against  his  face ;  she 
whisked  her  tail  excitedly,  and  whinnied  again, 
and  then,  with  a  low  and  friendly  neighing,  laid 
her  head  upon  his  shoulder. 

The  proof  was  absolute  and  unmistakable. 
The  spectators  broke  into  a  loud  hurrah ;  and 
Claude,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  patted  Zuleika's 
neck,  and  then  swung  himself  lightly  up  on  her 
back. 

She  stood  still  like  a  lamb,  until  he  had  got  his 
seat ;  whereupon,  with  a  snort  and  a  shake  of 
her  head,  she  dashed  across  the  wide  parade 
grounds,  while  the  soldiers  and  officers  cheered, 
and  the  spectators  waved  their  hats  and  clapped 
their  hands. 

Mudir  Pasha  knew  that  he  was  utterly  beaten  ; 
but  he  still  had  one  means  left  of  preventing  this 


ZULEIKA  41 

pride  of  the  Ottoman  stables  from  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  Giaours. 

He  walked  slowly  to  where  the  ambassador 
stood  talking  with  Colonel  Ring  and  Cadet 
Schwerin,  and  paused  a  few  steps  from  them. 

Just  then  Claude  came  dashing  at  full  speed 
toward  the  group,  followed  by  the  plaudits  of 
the  crowd.  Mudir,  with  an  oath,  pulled  a  pistol 
from  his  pocket,  and  taking  aim  at  Zuleika's 
head,  fired. 

But  Cadet  Schwerin,  who  saw  the  quick  mo 
tion,  struck  his  arm  upward,  so  that  the  bullet, 
whistling  past  Claude's  ear,  spent  itself  in  the 
air. 

The  king,  startled  at  the  report,  ordered 
Mudir  to  be  disarmed  and  brought  to  him. 

"  How  do  you  dare,"  he  asked,  sternly,  "  to 
shoot  in  my  presence  ?  " 

"  Your  Majesty,"  answered  Mudir,  sullenly, 
"  I  promised  my  prince  to  bring  this  horse  back, 
dead  or  alive.  I  have  failed.  Allah  is  great ! 
His  will  be  done ! " 

Then,  bowing  low,  he  begged  for  permission 
to  depart,  and  seating  himself  in  a  carriage, 
drove  off  under  the  protection  of  the  ambassador. 

Claude  was  now  introduced  to  the  king,  to 
whom  he  expressed  his  gratitude  for  his  wise 
judgment.  Under  the  escort  of  his  Majesty  he 
rode  Zuleika  back  to  the  city ;  and  it  was  dif- 


42  NORSELAN6  TALES 

ficult  to  tell  which  was  the  more  admired,  the 
handsome,  high-spirited  youth,  who  sat  so  well 
in  the  saddle,  or  the  noble,  proudly  stepping 
animal. 

From  that  time  forth  no  attempt  was  made 
to  separate  Claude  and  Zuleika,  and  she  is 
yet  Lieutenant  Ring's  dearest  friend  and  com 
panion. 


THE  SUNLESS  WORLD 


BOM — BOM!  A  ship  in  distress!  The  pilot, 
Mons  Larsen,  heard  it,  and  each  shot  gave  him 
a  start,  as  if  it  had  hit  him. 

"  God  ha'  mercy  on  us !  "  he  murmured  to 
himself ;  "  human  critters  out  in  such  a  night !  " 

Bom — bom !  Mons  threw  his  needle  away, 
with  which  he  had  been  binding  fishing-nets,  and 
stood  at  the  window  gazing  at  the  storm. 

"  God  ha'  mercy  on  us ! "  he  murmured  again ; 
then  went  across  the  floor  and  pulled  on  his  oil 
clothes. 

"  You  are  not  going  out,  father  ?  "  cried  little 
Jetta,  his  twelve-year-old  daughter. 

"  Easy,  little  lass,  easy ! "  said  Mons,  with 
forced  playfulness,  as  he  gave  her  a  pat  on  the 
head,  and  started  for  the  door. 

"  I  am  going  with  you,  father — I  am  going 
with  you,"  she  cried,  clinging  anxiously  to  his 
arm. 

"  And  be  blowed  into  eternity  like  a  rocket," 
Mons  remarked,  tranquilly,  as  he  clapped  the 


44  NORSELAND   TALES 

sou'wester  on  his  head  and  tied  it  with  a  double 
knot  under  his  chin.  "  Good-by,  little  lass, 
good-by." 

He  struggled  for  a  moment  with  the  door, 
which  the  storm  held  glued  to  its  frame,  then 
plunged  into  the  night.  He  set  his  face  res 
olutely  against  the  wind,  but  had  to  stop  several 
times,  wrestling  with  the  invisible  foe. 

"  Why  the  Lord  made  such  weather  is  more'n 
I  can  make  out,"  he  muttered,  "  havin'  sech  a 
fine  stock  on  hand  of  all  sorts.  And  why  he 
generally  works  off  the  nastiest  kinds  he  has  got, 
up  here — wal,  it's  mighty  curious." 

On  the  beach,  where  the  towering  waves  came 
rolling  in  and  broke  with  a  hoarse  roar,  he  saw 
lanterns  moving  hither  and  thither,  and  heard 
feeble  shouts  through  the  uproar  of  the  waters. 

Bom  !  They  were  yet  alive,  though  it  was  a 
miracle  how  they  managed  to  keep  afloat.  He 
was  just  displaying  his  lantern  when  Barth,  the 
Alderman  of  the  pilot  guild,  bumped  against 
him. 

"  It  is  well  you  came,  Larsen,"  he  shouted, 
"  though  there  is  nothing  to  be  done.  They  are 
dead  men." 

"  But  they  are  God's  critters  like  you  and  me, 
Mr.  Alderman,"  said  Mons,  in  respectful  remon 
strance. 

"  Well,  Larsen,  you  are  free  to  save  them  if 


THE  SUNLESS    WORLD  45 

you  can,"  said  the  Alderman,  "  but  I  am  not 
going  to  order  the  men  into  the  lifeboat  on  a 
night  like  this." 

"  Do  ye  mean  to  say  that  ye'll  give  me  com 
mand  ? " 

"  Yes,  I  give  you  command." 

In  five  minutes  Mons  had  seven  pilots  gathered 
about  him,  and  they  were  sending  rocket  after 
rocket,  with  cords  attached,  out  over  the  howl 
ing  and  hissing  sea.  They  could  not  see  the  ship 
until  the  eighth  rocket,  as  it  fell,  threw  a  mo 
mentary  gleam  over  a  dismasted  wreck  which, 
with  its  bow  skyward,  was  tossing  on  the  merci 
less  waves.  Happily,  the  rocket  fell  beyond  it, 
and  the  cord,  to  which  a  stout  rope  was  attached, 
was  hauled  aboard,  dragging  the  rope  after  it. 
A  cheer  went  up  from  the  pilots,  but  did  not 
reach  the  survivors  on  the  wreck.  The  tenth 
and  twelfth  rockets  sent  cords  which  were  con 
nected  with  breeches-buoys,*  and  these  too  were 
hauled  aboard.  Then  the  rope  was  well  secured 
both  on  the  wreck  and  on  the  shore,  and  the 
work  of  rescue  was  to  begin.  It  was  drawn  as 

*A  breeches-buoy  is  a  buoy  made  like  a  pair  of  trousers,  or 
a  complete  suit,  made  in  one  piece.  The  person  to  be  rescued 
steps  into  it,  secures  it  about  his  waist,  and  is  hauled  ashore.  The 
buoy  runs  by  means  of  a  little  wheel  upon  a  tight  rope,  securely 
fastened  to  the  wreck  and  to  the  shore.  It  cannot  be  used  to 
advantage  unless  the  wreck  is  aground  and  thus  nearly  station 
ary. 


46  NORSELAND  -TALES 

tense  as  a  violin  string,  and  yet  fell  slackened 
into  the  furious  breakers  as  the  wreck  was 
pushed  shoreward.  It  was  a  terrible  struggle ! 
Sky  and  sea  were  jumbled  together  into  one  vast, 
black,  roaring  expanse,  from  whose  depth  came 
faint  cries  of  distress,  like  voices  in  a  dream. 

"  Steady,  boys,  steady  !  " 

It  was  Mons  Larsen's  voice  rising  above  the 
storm. 

"  That  pull  is  the  signal  :  haul  in  the  buoy ! 
Steady,  boys,  steady  !  Down  he  goes  !  Never 
mind !  While  there's  life  there's  hope  !  That 
was  a  bad  one  !  O  hoi-oi-oi-oi-o — o-hoi !  " 

He  had  himself  taken  hold  of  the  slenderer 
rope  by  which  the  life-buoys  were  connected 
with  the  shore,  while  the  others  pulled  with  him, 
"  easy  "  or  "  hard,"  as  he  commanded.  That 
there  was  a  human  being  in  the  buoy  they  felt 
by  its  weight ;  but  it  was  more  than  doubtful 
whether  a  spark  of  life  would  be  left  by  the 
time  it  reached  the  land.  The  breakers,  rising 
like  black,  angry  mountains,  hurled  themselves 
in  a  boiling,  seething,  foaming  chaos  against  the 
huge  bowlders  of  the  shore  ;  and  it  seemed  as  if 
a  human  life  was  but  a  feather's  weight  in  the 
clutch  of  these  terrible  forces.  It  seemed,  in 
deed,  as  if  Mons  Larsen's  labor  had  been  in 
vain,  when,  as  the  wave  was  receding,  he  pulled 
out  the  limp  form  of  a  man  bruised  and  bat- 


THE  SUNLESS   WORLD  4/ 

tered  and  apparently  lifeless.  He  was  hastily 
carried  beyond  the  reach  of  the  raging  surf  and 
deposited  on  the  floor  of  a  sea-booth.  Mons, 
putting  his  lantern  on  the  top  of  a  barrel,  tore 
open  his  coat,  when,  lo  !  the  curly  head  of  a  boy 
was  revealed,  and  a  slender  body  lashed  to  that 
of  the  lifeless  sailor.  To  cut  the  line  and  place 
the  boy  upon  a  large  outspread  canvas  was  a 
moment's  work.  He  was  rubbed  and  rolled 
about ;  a  coil  of  rope  was  placed  under  his  chest, 
so  that  the  water  might  run  out  of  him  ;  brandy 
was  poured  into  his  throat,  and  his  arms  were 
moved  up  and  down,  so  as  to  produce  the  mo 
tion  of  breathing ;  nay,  Mons  Larsen  even  put 
his  mouth  to  the  boy's  and  blew  his  vigorous 
breath  into  the  inert  little  lungs.  At  the  end  of 
half  an  hour  the  suspended  functions  of  the 
little  boy  gently  resumed  their  activities ;  first 
slowly,  scarcely  perceptibly,  then  with  gradu 
ally  increasing  vigor.  When  at  last  the  half- 
closed  eyelids  opened,  Mons  Larsen  gave  a 
shout  of  delight,  seized  the  little  boy  in  his 
arms  and  kissed  him.  The  men,  who  in  the 
meantime  had  been  laboring  to  resuscitate  the 
elder  sailor,  grew  discouraged,  and  a  physi 
cian  who  presently  arrived  pronounced  him 
dead.  With  a  third  man  rescued  from  the 
wreck  they  had  better  success ;  he  was  a  youth 
of  eighteen  or  twenty  years,  and  responded 


48  NORSELAND   TALES 

readily  to  the  efforts  that  were  made  to  recall 
him  to  life. 

"  Mercy  on  us,  what  a  God-forsaken  place  !  " 
he  remarked,  as  with  a  clearing  consciousness  he 
sat  up  and  gazed  about  him  in  the  empty  sea- 
booth.  "  How  are  you,  gentlemen  ?  "  he  added, 
nodding  quizzically  to  the  pilots,  who  stood 
about  him  with  astonished  faces.  He  took  a 
deep,  shuddering  breath  ;  rubbed  himself  a  little  ; 
then,  after  two  vain  attempts,  succeeded  in  get 
ting  on  his  feet.  With  comic  gravity,  he  shook 
hands  with  each  of  his  rescuers,  saying,  as  he 
finished  the  ceremony,  "  My  name  is  Joel  Macy, 
gentlemen — Joel  Macy,  of  Marblehead,  Massa 
chusetts,  United  States  of  America.  Glorious 
country,  gentlemen  !  Common  sailor  before  the 
mast  on  the  whaler  Governor  Winthrop,  Cap 
tain  Starbuck." 

His  eyes  fell  at  this  moment  upon  the  form  of 
the  dead  man  outstretched  upon  the  canvas,  and 
the  cheery  expression  of  his  face  changed  to  one 
of  sorrow.  "  There  you  are,  old  chap,"  he  said, 
stooping  sadly  over  him,  "  dead  as  a  door-nail. 
You  was  rather  rough  on  me,  Captain,  when  1 
made  that  rumpus  about  them  mouldy  hard-tacks, 
but  I  won't  bear  ye  no  grudge  now." 


THE  SUNLESS    WORLD  49 


II 

THE  town  of  Vardo  is  not  a  cheerful  place 
under  the  most  favorable  circumstances  ;  and  in 
the  month  of  November,  when  the  sun  has  made 
his/./,  c.  call  (intending  not  to  show  his  genial 
countenance  again  for  three  months),  it  is  par 
ticularly  dreary.  A  couple  of  hundred  one- 
story  wooden  houses,  huddled  together  on  a 
desolate  island  within  the  Arctic  Circle — that  is 
a  fair  description  of  the  place.  Yet  the  inhabi 
tants  of  this  unsightly  shanty-town  gave  Captain 
Starbuck,  of  the  Governor  Winthrop,  a  right 
handsome  funeral,  and  many  of  them  shed  tears 
over  his  sad  fate,  as  if  he  had  been  a  personal 
friend.  Unhappily,  the  day  was  so  dark  and 
stormy  that  the  funeral  procession  had  to  carry 
torches  in  order  to  find  its  way  to  the  church, 
yard  ;  and  it  was  an  impressive  sight,  as  it  mean 
dered  solemnly  through  the  crooked  streets 
toward  the  little  storm-beaten  church,  with  its 
low  spire,  which  looked  as  if  it  were  bracing  it 
self  against  the  wind.  The  whole  town  had 
turned  out  to  do  honor  to  the  American  captain ; 
and  merchants,  fishermen,  and  tars  thronged 
about  the  open  grave  to  listen  to  the  words  of 
the  pastor,  who  preached  about  those  "  who  go 
down  to  the  sea  in  ships,  that  do  business  in 
4 


5O  NORSELAND   TALES 

great  waters."  Then  they  chanted  a  doleful 
hymn  in  a  dozen  discordant  keys,  which  the 
hoarse  undertone  of  the  surf  blended  into  some 
thing  resembling  harmony. 

In  the  afternoon  the  good  people,  feeling  yet, 
like  a  vague  reverberation,  the  holiday  mood  of 
the  funeral,  called  en  masse  upon  the  little  boy, 
Tristam  Starbuck,  who  had  been  so  miracu 
lously  saved  from  the  fury  of  the  Polar  Sea.  It 
was  a  perfect  levee  he  had  there,  in  Mons  Lar- 
sen's  narrow  little  sitting-room ;  and  so  strange 
did  it  all  seem  to  him  that  he  sometimes  scarcely 
knew  whether  he  was  awake  or  dreaming.  He 
had  a  kind  of  Alice  in  Wonderland  feeling — a 
general  expectation  of  all  sorts  of  strange  hap 
penings,  and  an  absence  of  surprise  at  any  sur 
prising  thing  that  might  occur.  When  thirty 
or  forty  unknown  ladies  came  up  and  kissed 
him  (some  quite  beautiful  and  some  quite  the 
reverse),  he  was  half-prepared  to  see  them  turn 
into  rabbits  or  "  mock-turtles,"  or  something  or 
other,  and  when  one  of  them  presented  him  with 
a  piece  of  cake,  of  which  he  thoughtlessly  took 
a  bite,  he  began  to  stare  at  his  boots,  being  sure 
that  he  would  either  shrink  or  grow  inordinate-' 
ly  tall. 

Joel  Macy,  who  had  borrowed  a  miscellaneous 
costume  of  several  natives  while  his  own  was 
being  dried  and  repaired,  looked  very  odd  in  an 


THE  SUNLESS   WORLD  5 1 

ancient  dress  coat,  a  flowered  calico  waistcoat, 
leather -patched  knee-breeches,  top-boots,  and 
sou'wester.  Though  he  looked  more  like  a 
wonderland  figure  than  any  of  the  rest  of  the 
company,  his  honest,  cheery  face,  which  was 
vainly  trying  to  appear  lugubrious,  seemed  to 
Tristam  the  only  thing  in  the  room  which  was 
undoubtedly  real.  In  the  evening  the  pastor, 
who  had  delivered  the  funeral  oration,  called, 
put  Tristam  upon  his  knee,  and,  with  what  little 
English  he  could  command,  tried  to  get  at  the 
facts  of  his  history.  With  Joel's  aid  he  learned 
that  the  Governor  Winthrop  was  a  whaler, 
belonging  in  Portland,  Me.,  and  that  Captain 
Starbuck's  widow  was  yet  living  in  that  city. 
He  then  begged  Joel  and  Tristam  to  write,  giv 
ing  an  account  of  the  shipwreck.  As  usual, 
about  Christmas  time,  a  mail  steamer  came  from 
the  south,  bringing  and  taking  messages  be 
tween  the  sunless  and  the  sunny  world.  And 
as  Tristam's  letters,  which  were  written  in  the 
shape  of  a  diary,  contain  some  curious  things, 
unfamiliar  to  those  who  have  never  been  dwell 
ers  in  darkness  for  three  months  at  a  time,  it 
may  be  worth  while  to  make  a  few  extracts. 

"  November  2ist. — I  have  cryd  all  day  becaus 
papa  is  ded.  I  can  not  get  used  to  be  alone  and 
have  no  papa.  I  wish  he  had  never  gone  waling 
in  this  orful  plas.  I  slepe  in  a  box  in  the  wal, 


52  NORSELAND    TALES 

becaus  that  is  the  way  fokes  slepe  in  this  coun 
try.  It  shuts  up  like  a  wardrob.  Joel  slepes 
with  me  ;  but  he  snors  like  a  tornado.  I  like 
Joel  very  much  but  not  too  slepe  with.  Jetta  is 
a  litle  gurl  but  she  is  sometims  very  nice.  She 
sits  and  looks  at  me,  as  if  I  was  a  whal.  She 
tawks  a  languidge  which  is  very  funy  but  ther 
is  no  sens  too  it.  We  do  not  get  much  to  eet 
becaus  the  pylot  is  pur,  and  wee  hav  nothin  too 
pa  him  with  except  papa's  cronometer,  which 
was  in  his  pockit  when  he  was  ded.  But  I  do 
not  want  to  sel  it  or  give  it  awa  for  things  to 
eet.  Sawlt  herring  is  not  nice  for  super  when 
you  have  had  it  for  diner  and  brekfast  too. 

"  November  3Oth. — I  am  mixd  up  about  evry- 
thing  becaus  ther  is  nobody  to  kepe  reconing  of 
the  days  when  the  son  don't  attend  too  it,  be 
caus  the  clocs  in  this  country  are  too  slo.  The 
fokes  too  are  slo.  I  fele  sorter  topsy  turvy  be 
caus  the  moon  shins  offtentims  at  noon,  when  it 
is  cleer,  but  when  it  is  not  cleer  it  is  as  blak  as 
pitsh.  The  moon  has  lost  his  reconing  like  me. 
Joel  he  frets  becaus  ther  is  nothing  too  do  ;  and 
then  he  makes  orful  faces  at  me  to  make  me  lat. 
Yesterday  he  quoreled  with  a  man  in  a  stor  and 
nerly  lade  him  out.  It  was  the  man's  fawlt,  be 
caus  he  sad  he  did  not  like  Americans.  To-day 
Joel  cant  go  out  becaus  he  ses  the  people  dont 
like  him. 


THE   SUNLESS    WORLD  53 

"  December  iOth. — The  pylot  has  a  musik  boks 
which  plas  three  tuns.  When  it  gets  too  orful 
lonsom  then  he  sets  it  plaing.  The  pylot  is  a 
good  man.  It  is  mostly  dutsh  tuns  it  plas.  But 
it  also  plas  Yankee  Doodel,  and  that  is  the  sad- 
est  of  all.  It  maks  me  almost  cry.  And  Joel 
he  reglar  boohood  out  when  the  musik  boks 
plad  Yankee  Doodel.  It  seems  ten  yeers  sens 
we  cam  here. 

"  December  22d. — Ther  is  a  gret  glar  from  the 
snow  as  if  ther  was  lite  under  it.  The  water 
smoks  as  if  it  was  hot,  but  the  smok  maks  you 
crepe  all  over  with  cold.  They  cal  it  the  frost 
smok.  Somethin  like  a  hundred  big  whit  snaks 
craul  up  across  the  sky  ;  it  is  very  ewer.  The 
snaks  are  a  thousand  tims  biger  than  ratle  snaks. 
They  are  mad  out  of  lite.  I  looked  at  them  and 
they  seddenly  busted,  and  the  sky  semd  ful  of  red 
and  blu  fyr  works,  a  reglar  forth  of  July  bio  out 
but  much  biger.  It  is  the  Arora  boralis.  They 
hav  hens  here  and  cats  but  they  dont  la  egs  now, 
becaus  it  is  so  dark  that  they  can't  se  wher  to 
la  them.  Jetta  ses  they  dont  like  to  la  egs  by 
moonlite  becaus  it  is  so  unsertin. 

"  December  25th. — The  precher  cam  yesterday 
and  invited  me  to  him  but  he  didnt  invit  Joel 
nur  Jetta.  I  didnt  want  to  go  but  Joel  mad  me. 
They  had  a  real  big  Cristmas  tre.  His  wif  kist 
me,  and  her  fase  was  nice.  We  all  danst  litle 


54  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

and  big  about  the  tre  holdin  itch  others  hands. 
We  sang  a  jolly  tun  but  I  don't  no  what  it  was. 
It  was  about  Jesus.  The  precher  had  six  chil 
dren  and  a  baby  but  she  don't  count.  I  got  a 
nife  with  handel  mad  out  of  whal  tooth.  It  is 
nicely  carved.  I  got  a  hepe  of  other  things 
from  other  peple,  but  they  wer  shurts  and  nit 
draurs  and  stokins  and  shus  and  things.  I  at  a 
lot.  The  precher  was  orful  jolly  and  nice.  He 
tauked  ewer  Inglish.  When  he  had  prad  he 
said  to  me,  I  hop  you  are  a  Cristian.  No,  sed  I, 
I  am  an  Episcopalin.  Then  he  laffed  and  pated 
my  hed.  It  is  wel  my  sun  he  sed.  Joel  cam  too 
tak  me  horn  but  the  precher's  wif  she  tuk  a  shin 
too  me  and  she  wudnt  let  me.  She  kist  me  and 
looked  as  she  wud  cry  when  she  lookd  at  me.  I 
slept  in  a  real  bed  and  a  boy  namd  Gustav  slept 
in  the  sam  bed.  He  stud  on  his  hed  for  me  fiv 
minits,  and  I  wauked  on  my  hands  with  my  fet 
up  for  him  around  the  rum.  We  coudnt  tauk 
becaus  he  tauks  the  languidge  of  the  other  folks 
here. 

"  January  loth. — You  no  now  my  dere  mama 
that  I  am  aliv  and  not  ded.  For  I  sent  you  my 
leter  by  the  sterner  which  left  last  Monday. 
Now  I  comens  another  leter.  I  cryd  becaus  I 
cudnt  go  with  that  sterner  to  you  dere  mama. 
But  I  hav  no  mony  and  Joel  has  only  too  dollars 
and  thirte  sents.  But  you  must  send  me  mony 


THE  SUNLESS    WORLD  55 

in  time  for  the  nekst  sterner,  and  then  I  wil  cum 
to  you.  Joel  he  did  an  orful  ewer  thing.  He 
and  I  went  huntin  in  a  boat  for  polar  bares  we 
had  guns  and  huntin  poutches  and  everythin. 
The  pylot  was  with  us.  Joel  shot  a  polar  bare 
on  the  ice  but  we  didnt  tak  him  along  becaus  he 
was  not  ded.  He  swum  off  and  he  shoed  no  fite. 
We  did't  se  another  polar  bare  but  Joel  shot  fore 
sels  for  selskin  saks,  and  them  we  got  but  ther  fur 
is  very  stif  and  not  soft  lik  yurs.  I  shot  fiv  awks 
and  duks.  hundreds  and  thousands  of  them  was 
siting  on  the  roks  in  the  moonlite  skremin  and 
chaterin  lik  mad.  The  pylot  didnt  lik  it  and  he 
wudnt  let  me  shute  no  mor.  Joel  he  is  stufin 
the  burds  for  me.  they  wer  so  fat  that  he  stuk  a 
wik  thro  one  of  them  and  lited  it  and  it  burns 
yet.  I  am  ritin  this  leter  by  duk  lite.  Dere 
mama  did  you  ever  hav  a  leter  befor  riten  by 
duk  lite  ? 

"  January  i8th. — We  had  a  orful  racket  her  to 
day  becaus  the  son  had  com.  The  shops  was 
shut.  All  the  fokes  war  in  the  stretes  yet  many 
fokes  wer  on  the  rufs  of  the  houses  and  on  the 
hils  outsid  the  town.  It  was  tuylite  in  the 
stretes,  but  ther  was  a  big  red  bar  of  fir  at  the 
edge  of  the  sky  upon  the  water.  Som  peple 
acted  as  if  they  wer  mad  becaus  they  wer  so 
jolly.  It  was  elevn  o'cloc  or  mor.  Papas  cronom- 
eter  has  stopt.  I  guess  it  neds  clenin.  A  litle 


$6  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

ranbo  no  biger  than  a  church  dor  stradled  the 
ridge  of  the  hils  wher  it  was  redest.  In  a  litle  while 
the  edge  of  the  sun  peped  up  above  the  edge  of 
the  hils,  and  it  was  so  lite  I  had  to  rub  my  eyes 
lik  a  bat.  Then  all  the  people  went  kracy. 
They  cryd  and  laffed  and  hugd  itch  other  lik 
blazes,  even  if  they  didnt  no  itch  other.  They 
cryd  to  me  the  son  the  son  hav  you  sen  the  son. 
Joel  he  too  went  mad  lik  the  rest  for  he  hugd 
and  kist  me  and  cryd  lik  a  baby.  The  bels  in 
the  church  tours  chimd  and  ratled  out  all  the 
nois  ther  was  in  them  and  the  cannons  of  the  fort 
mad  a  forth  of  July  racket  as  if  they  had  bet 
ther  livs  on  beting  the  church  bels.  All  the 
ladis  in  the  stretes  kist  me  and  cryd.  I  didnt  lik 
it  much  but  I  cudnt  spek  their  languidge  so  I 
had  to  let  them.  Som  of  them  kist  Joel  too  but 
that  was  a  mistak.  Joel  cudnt  spek  their  lan 
guidge  ether. 

"  February  I2th. — A  drumercam  her  overland 
today  and  by  ro-boat  and  he  brawt  me  your 
leter  dere  mama.  The  draft  wil  be  al  rite  the 
preacher  ses  becaus  it  is  made  out  to  Joel,  and 
he  can  draw  it.  Joel  ses  he  is  a  furst  klas  hand  at 
it ;  so  ypu  se  he  can  do  it  and  it  is  al  rite.  It  is 
too  weks  until  the  nekst  sterner  corns  and  dere 
mama  then  I  shal  sale  horn  to  you.  If  papa  only 
had  not  ben  ded  we  shud  al  be  hapy  agin. 

"  Al  the  people  are  so  glad  to  se  the  drumer 


THE   SUNLESS    WORLD  57 

they  run  out  into  the  strete  to  shak  hands  with 
him  and  ask  him  to  diner.  Then  they  ask  him 
about  poltiks  and  Gladstun  and  Bismark  and 
wors  and  things.  He  ses  wor  has  brok  out  in 
America  and  that  Jef  Davis  is  presdent  of  the 
united  stats.  Joel  ses  that  is  a  big  yarn  and 
that  them  drumers  are  orful  lyrs.  Joel  ses  he 
wil  thrash  that  drumer  within  an  inch  of  his  lif 
if  he  ses  it  agin. 

"  February  23d. — Hura!  The  sterner  is  comin. 
I  se  the  smok  of  it.  It  is  orful  jolly.  Joel  has 
gon  to  sa  good  by  to  al  the  ladis  in  town.  We 
are  al  paked.  Jetta  is  cryin  and  sobbin  like  a  litle 
stem  engine  becaus  she  dont  want  me  to  go.  I 
am  glad  I  liv  in  a  country  lik  the  united  states, 
wher  the  son  has  reglar  bissines  habits  and  dont 
shut  up  shop  for  thre  months  in  the  year. 

"  February  24th.  —  Steamer  Ganger  Rolf. 
The  -hul  toun  it  semd  cam  on  bord  to  sa  good 
by  to  us.  The  harbor  was  blak  with  boats.  The 
precher  cam  and  was  orful  nice.  He  mad  me 
promis  to  rite  to  him.  Thre  ladis  stood  and  cryd 
becaus  Joel  was  goin.  It  is  tru  becaus  Joel  sed 
so.  Joel  was  almost  cryin  himself.  But  he  had 
to  go  becaus  now  evrybody  ses  that  ther  is  wor 
in  the  united  stats  and  Joel  has  got  to  tak  a  hand 
in  it.  If  I  was  big  enuf  I  wud  tak  a  hand  too. 
Joel  did  rong  to  thrash  that  drumer  becaus  he 
was  not  a  lyr." 


LIFE    FOR  LIFE 

THE  town  of  Vardo  in  Norway  is  situated  on 
an  island  within  the  Polar  Circle,  where  there 
is  winter  during  nine  months  of  the  year  and 
chilly  weather  during  the  remaining  three. 
Still,  Jetmund  Tangen  had  no  quarrel  with  Fate 
for  having  deposited  him  in  such  a  fierce  and 
barren  corner  of  the  earth.  He  had  received 
the  cold  gust  from  the  Pole  full  in  the  face  the 
moment  he  was  born,  and  he  went  through  life, 
as  it  were,  facing  it  in  the  same  uncomprom.'s- 
ing  manner.  He  had  braced  himself  for  the 
fight ;  and  he  stood  like  a  rock.  Nature  had 
meant  him  for  a  kindly  man,  no  doubt ;  but  the 
cold,  somehow,  shut  him  up,  and  made  him 
stern  and  silent.  Only  toward  his  son  Paul  did 
he  exhibit  his  gentler  side,  for  Paul  was  a  mis 
erable  little  weakling,  whose  feeble  life  flickered 
like  a  flame  that  was  about  to  go  out.  He  sat  in 
his  bed,  propped  up  by  pillows,  sometimes  read 
ing,  sometimes  dreamily  gazing  at  pictures  cut 
from  cigar-boxes  or  advertisements  of  groceries. 
The  sovereigns  of  Europe,  drinking  with  ecstatic 


LIFE  FOR  LIFE  59 

expressions  a  certain  brand  of  chocolate,  or  the 
black-eyed  Cuban  senoritas  with  their  arch  smiles 
and  beau  catchers,  kindled  his  imagination  with 
visions  of  beauty  and  splendor.  He  wandered 
through  palm-groves  in  sweet  converse  with 
these  fascinating  damsels,  and  reposed  with  them 
upon  green  hills  overlooking  the  dimpling  sum 
mer  seas.  Now  it  was  the  dancing  La  Tarantella 
who  rejoiced  in  his  favor  (for  Paul  did  not  doubt 
that  the  names  were  authentic);  then  came,  the 
next  week,  Donna  Casilda  and  cut  her  out ;  and  a 
week  later  it  might  be  Flor  de  Habana  to  whom 
he  awarded  the  palm  of  loveliness.  She  had,  as 
her  sweet  serious  eyes  showed,  a  nobler  charac 
ter  than  the  coquettish  Donna  Casilda;  and  as 
for  La  Tarantella,  Paul  felt  quite  ashamed  that 
he  had  allowed  himself  to  be  taken  in  by  her 
charms. 

Thus  passed  the  days  and  nights  of  the  inva 
lid's  life.  For  he  waked  and  slept  as  nature 
prompted,  and  kept  no  account  of  time.  The 
dim  lamp  burned  always  on  the  table  before  his 
bed ;  and  outside  the  storm  and  the  darkness 
reigned.  The  house  creaked  in  all  its  joints, 
like  a  ship  in  a  gale  ;  or,  on  still  days,  the  walls 
cracked  and  snapped  from  the  cold  ;  but  Paul 
and  his  lovely  sefioritas  revelled  in  glorious  sun 
shine  and  played  ball  with  golden  oranges,  while 
the  groves  resounded  with  their  laughter.  Only 


6O  NORSELAND   TALES 

when  his  father  or  his  brother  Narve  came  from 
the  store  to  trim  the  lamp  for  him  and  to  give  him 
a  little  pat  on  the  head  was  he  reminded  of  the 
grim  reality.  For  Jetmund  always  left  behind 
him  an  atmosphere  of  tarred  ropes,  plug  tobacco, 
and  salted  cod,  which  put  the  senoritas  to  flight. 
Narve's  visits  were  less  unwelcome  ;  because  he 
smelled  merely  of  fish,  and  he  brought,  at  least 
once  or  twice  a  week,  a  new  picture.  Sometimes 
it  was  a  stout  gentleman  who  had  gone  mad  with 
delight  over  a  piece  of  soap  (though  he  seemed 
to  have  no  special  need  of  it),  or  a  middle-aged 
lady  who  had  discovered  that  the  secret  of  hap 
piness  consisted  in  the  possession  of  a  bottle  of 
quack  medicine.  These  were  welcome,  by  way 
of  variety,  when  the  supply  of  senoritas  ran 
short,  for  they  suggested  all  manner  of  specula 
tions  as  to  the  character  and  previous  history  of 
people  who  could  go  into  rapture  at  so  singular 
a  provocation. 

When  the  brief  summer  blazed  up  on  the  hori 
zon  and  the  whole  island  was  covered  with  in 
numerable  wild  flowers,  there  came  a  change  in 
Paul's  life.  He  was  then  every  Sunday  wrapped 
up  carefully  and  carried  in  his  brother's  arms 
down  to  the  beach,  where  a  boat  lay  ready 
to  receive  them.  And  all  day  long  and  far 
into  the  golden  night  they  would  float  idly 
about  on  the  shining  mirror  of  the  sea,  tinder 


LIFE  FOR  LIFE  6 1 

the  cloudless  sky,  among  the  screaming  hosts 
of  sea-birds.  The  enormous  icebergs,  glittering 
like  fairy  palaces  in  the  red  rays  of  the  mid 
night  sun,  drifted  past  them,  carrying  their 
freight  of  seal  and  occasionally  a  walrus  or  a  polar 
bear,  all  unconscious  of  their  destination  and  even 
of  the  fact  that  they  were  travelling.  Paul, 
lying  with  half-closed  eyes  in  the  stern  of  the 
boat,  took  little  note  of  these  things:  the  clouds 
that  sailed  above  him,  changing  in  the  glow  of 
the  sun  into  all  sorts  of  fantastic  shapes,  inter 
ested  him  far  more ;  for  he  saw  in  them  faces 
and  forms  of  wondrous  beauty  pursued  by  threat 
ening  monsters  of  appalling  ugliness.  The  pure 
air  did  him  good,  and  the  gentle  motion  soothed 
him.  He  broke  out  in  querulous  protest  when, 
long  after  midnight,  Narve  put  up  his  oars  and 
sprang  forward  to  ward  off  the  bump  against  the 
pier.  He  would  have  liked  to  drift  on  thus  for 
ever. 

The  older  brother,  on  such  occasions,  was  re 
ceived  with  harsh  rebukes  on  their  arrival  home. 
He  had  been  accustomed  to  harsh  words  from 
his  father  as  long  as  he  could  remember. 
Though  he  was  a  kind-hearted  and  capable  lad, 
Jetmund  seemed  to  cherish  a  deep-seated  grudge 
against  him.  By  some  obscure  process  of  rea 
soning  he  seemed  to  hold  the  older  brother  re 
sponsible  for  the  younger's  feebleness.  He, 


62  NORSELAND  TALES 

coming  first,  had  appropriated  more  than  his 
share  of  strength,  leaving  nothing  for  the  poor 
little  fellow  who  came  after  him.  Jetmund  never 
uttered  these  sentiments  in  words,  but,  absurd  as 
they  were,  they  nevertheless  colored  his  whole 
relation  to  Narve ;  and  the  boy,  who  had  sto 
ically  accepted  this  relation  as  something  in 
evitable,  expended,  like  the  father  himself,  what 
ever  love  there  was  in  his  heart  upon  the 
invalid  brother.  He  never  smelt  Jetmund's 
composite  odor  from  afar  without  making  haste 
to  vanish.  As  he  grew  to  manhood,  however, 
he  began  to  feel  ashamed  of  his  dislike  of  his 
father's  society,  and  compelled  himself  to  stand 
when  he  would  have  liked  to  run.  He  even  con 
sented  to  take  his  place  behind  the  counter  in 
the  store  in  order  to  save  the  hire  of  a  clerk, 
which  Jetmund  could  ill  afford  to  pay.  But  it 
seemed  to  him  a  miserable  life  ;  he  chafed  under 
it  like  a  polar  bear  shut  up  in  a  cage ;  for  Narve 
was  essentially  an  out-of-door  character.  He 
was  of  large  frame,  powerfully  built,  and  weather- 
beaten  like  a  whaler.  From  his  earliest  years  he 
had  known  no  restraint  upon  his  liberty,  but  had 
ranged  freely  over  land  and  sea  as  his  fancy 
prompted.  He  felt  at  home  in  the  icy  blast ; 
amid  the  screaming  host  of  sea-birds  that  swept 
in  the  wake  of  the  fishing-fleet ;  among  seal  and 
walrus  upon  the  drifting  ice-floes.  He  was  a 


LIFE  FOR  LIFE  63 

polar  type.  Generations  of  life  within  the  Arctic 
zone  had  made  him  what  he  was, — every  phase 
of  his  mental  and  physical  being  adapted  to 
grapple  with  the  hard  conditions  of  Arctic  ex 
istence.  Imagine,  then,  what  a  martyrdom  the 
daily  confinement  in  a  little  low-ceiled  and  mal 
odorous  store  must  have  been  to  such  a  nature. 
And  yet  it  was  fortunate  that  he  accepted  the 
yoke,  heavy  though  it  was.  For  one  day,  with 
out  a  moment's  warning,  his  father  fell  through 
a  trap-door  in  the  sea-booth,  and  sustained  so 
serious  an  injury  that  he  died  the  next  day. 

"  Take  care — of  the  little  one,  Narve,"  he 
gasped,  with  his  expiring  breath;  "take  care — 
of  the— little  one." 

Paul,  strange  to  say,  took  his  father's  death 
quite  calmly — perhaps  because  he  had  not  vital 
ity  enough  to  feel  anything  keenly — while  Narve 
wept  as  if  his  heart  would  break.  The  fact  that 
his  relations  with  his  father  had  not  been  of  the 
best  seemed  to  make  his  loss  only  the  harder  to 
bear.  In  the  half-stunned  condition  in  which  the 
calamity  had  left  him,  the  discovery  which  he 
soon  made,  that  his  father  had  died  bankrupt, 
had  scarcely  the  power  to  impress  him  at  all. 
His  first  thought  was  that  he  might  now  escape 
from  the  irksome  routine  of  the  store.  The  wide 
world  stretched  out  before  him,  and  he  might 
now  at  last  follow  his  inclinations  and  roam 


64  NORSELAND   TALES 

to  his  heart's  content.  He  knew  the  haunts  of 
the  whale  better  than  any  man  in  Vardoe;  and 
he  had  also  made  an  invention  in  connection 
with  whale  catching  from  which  he  expected 
in  time  to  realize  a  fortune.  The  only  thing 
needed  to  perfect  the  details  was  practical  ex 
periment.  This  a  voyage  in  a  whaler  would 
easily  afford  him  ;  and  then  the  road  to  prosper 
ity  and  happiness  was  plain  sailing.  There  was 
but  one  drawback  to  this  beautiful  plan.  He 
could  not  take  Paul  with  him  on  a  whaling  expe 
dition  ;  nor  had  he  the  heart  to  leave  him  be 
hind.  He  thought  and  he  thought,  until  his 
brow  was  a  net-work  of  wrinkles ;  but  all  expe 
dients  that  suggested  themselves  seemed  cruel. 
And  so  the  end  of  it  was  that,  with  a  heavy 
heart,  he  resumed  his  place  behind  the  counter, 
as  clerk  to  his  father's  successor,  Mr.  A.  Grundt, 
and  the  beautiful  dream  vanished  in  smoke. 

Paul  was  far  from  suspecting  the  sacrifice 
which  his  brother  had  made  for  him.  He  lived 
in  a  world  of  his  own  imagining  ;  and  as  long  as 
he  was  free  from  pain,  and  new  sefioritas  with 
new  and  fascinating  names  kept  him  company, 
he  allowed  no  other  earthly  concern  to  disturb 
him.  Only  when  winter  came  and  his  poor  ema 
ciated  body  was  wrenched  with  pain  did  he  lose 
his  patience  and  become  fretful  and  exacting. 
Narve  saw  him  fade  away,  day  by  day  and  week 


iJFE  FOR  LIFE  6$ 

by  week ;  and,  strive  as  he  might,  he  could  not 
chase  away  the  thought  that  when  these  two 
weary  eyes  should  be  closed  forever,  then  he 
would  be  free  to  live  his  own  life  and  start  in 
quest  of  his  own  happiness.  But  in  the  next  mo 
ment  he  would  remember  his  promise  to  his 
father  to  care  for  him  ;  his  love  for  his  brother 
would  awake  with  renewed  warmth,  and  he 
would  suffer  an  agony  of  remorse,  because  he 
had  for  one  moment  harbored  the  wicked 
thought.  One  night,  as  he  was  sitting  at  Paul's 
bedside,  doing  penance  for  his  yearning  for  lib 
erty,  his  eyes  fell  upon  the  picture  of  the  lady 
who  was  exulting  in  the  virtues  of  Brown's  Pana 
cea.  A  pang  nestled  at  his  heart,  as  he  thought 
that  neither  he  nor  his  father,  with  all  their  love 
for  Paul,  had  consulted  a  physician  in  regard 
to  his  ailment.  They  had  looked  upon  it  rather 
as  a  heaven-sent  calamity — something  that  was 
meant  to  be,  and,  as  such,  beyond  the  reach  of 
earthly  aid.  , 

An  overwhelming  sense  of  tenderness  for  the 
invalid  took  possession  of  Narve. 

"  You  have  no  one  in  the  world  but  me,  you 
poor  boy,"  said  he,  as  he  let  his  large,  cool  hand 
glide  over  Paul's  hot  forehead.  "  I  will  be  faith 
ful,  faithful,  faithful,"  he  added,  in  a  whisper,  to 
himself,  "  faithful  unto  the  end." 

The  next  day,  rather  to  pacify  his  conscience 
5 


66  NORSELAND   TALES 

than  because  he  hoped  for  any  result,  he  called 
upon  the  resident  physician  and  begged  him  to 
visit  his  brother.  Paul  submitted  fretfully  to 
being  tapped  on  the  back  and  having  the  various 
functions  of  his  body  tested  by  scientific  appli 
ances.  When  the  examination  was  at  an  end, 
Narve  stood  waiting  outside  with  an  anxious 
face. 

"  He  needs  the  one  thing  which  you  cannot 
give  him,"  said  the  doctor — "a  temperate  cli 
mate.  He  has  no  constitution  to  grapple  with 
the  perpetual  winter  of  the  North  Pole." 

"  And  will  he  then  die  ? "  cried  Narve,  in  an 
agony  of  conflicting  emotions. 

"  He  may  survive  another  winter.  He  will 
not  survive  two." 

II 

THE  great  blue  burnished  shield  of  the  Polar 
Sea,  the  flaming  sheen  of  the  midnight  sun,  the 
shrieking  storm  of  sea-birds  whirling  about  the 
lonely  crags,  the  huge  whales  blowing  and 
spouting  against  the  sky,  the  great  fishing-fleet, 
with  expanded  sails,  flying  northward,  and  re 
turning  laden  to  the  rim — this  is  the  North,  the 
beloved  North  !  So  it  presented  itself,  at  least, 
to  Narve's  mind,  as  he  regretfully  thought  of  the 
possibility  of  leaving  it.  It  was  to  him  the  most 
favored,  the  most  beautiful  land  under  the  sun. 


LIFE  FOR   LIFE  6/ 

But  it  had  not  a  temperate  climate.  At  least 
he  inferred  from  the  doctor's  words  that  it  had 
not.  He  wrestled  mightily  with  the  Lord  in 
prayer,  begging  for  light  and  guidance,  and 
hoping  that  some  escape  might  be  found  from 
the  cruel  duty.  But  each  time  the  duty  seemed 
plainer,  more  inexorable.  His  brother's  life  was 
in  his  hand.  Should  he  refuse  to  save  it?  Had 
he  not  promised  his  father  to  shield  and  protect 
it  ?  Could  he  ever  hope  for  peace  upon  the  earth, 
if  he  had  to  step  over  Paul's  dead  body  to  reach 
his  liberty  ?  Could  he  buy  happiness  by  his 
brother's  death  ?  These  importunate  questions 
haunted  Narve  by  day  and  by  night.  He  could 
no  longer,  as  of  old,  shirk  the  answer  by  saying 
that  if  it  was  the  Lord's  will  that  Paul  should  live, 
He  would  save  him  wherever  he  was.  He  had 
a  tender  conscience,  this  great  blue-eyed  giant, 
and  its  wakeful  voice  kept  whispering  in  the 
dark,  through  the  long  vigils  of  the  night. 
When  at  last  the  fateful  resolution  was  taken, 
Narve  braced  himself  to  lift  his  burden,  and 
wavered  no  longer.  He  would  bend  all  his 
energies  to  gathering  money  enough  to  take 
Paul  to  a  temperate  climate.  The  eight  dollars 
a  month  which  he  received  for  his  services  in 
the  store,  were  all  expended  to  provide  the  inva 
lid  with  the  necessaries  of  life  ;  and  some  extra 
source  of  income  had,  therefore,  to  be  provided. 


68  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

Happily,  Narve  had  some  knowledge  of  taxi- 
dermy,  and  as  English  tourists  paid  good  prices 
for  stuffed  specimens  of  Arctic  birds  and  beasts 
he  hoped  within  a  year  to  save  the  hundred  dol 
lars  which  would  be  needed  for  the  journey. 
Long  before  the  break  of  dawn  he  was  seen 
roaming,  with  his  gun  on  his  shoulder,  over  the 
lonely  cliffs  or  visiting  the  islands  where  the 
birds  were  wont  to  brood  ;  and  every  time  he  re 
turned  laden  with  booty.  It  did  not  occur  to 
Paul,  who  watched  with  languid  interest  his 
brother's  midnight  toil,  flaying  eider-ducks  and 
auks  and  cormorants,  that  it  was  his  own  life 
which  was  at  stake  in  these  operations.  But 
from  Narve's  mind  this  reflection  was  never  ab 
sent.  It  sustained  him  when  he  was  discour 
aged,  gave  him  strength  when  he  was  weary, 
kept  his  drooping  eyes  open  when  they  were 
heavy  with  sleep.  Dollar  was  added  to  dollar, 
and  slowly  the  little  hoard  grew,  until,  by  the 
end  of  a  year,  it  counted  fifty-six.  But  that  was 
forty-four  less  than  was  required.  And,  in  the 
meanwhile,  the  second  winter  would  be  com 
ing  on,  which  the  doctor  had  said  Paul  could 
not  survive.  For  the  first  time  he  gained  no 
strength  during  the  summer ;  and  with  the  first 
cold  days  in  September  he  failed  so  rapidly  that 
it  seemed  sometimes  a  question  of  hours  when 
he  would  breathe  his  last. 


LIFE  FOR  LIFE  69 

Narve,  to  whom  his  task  had  become  dearer, 
the  nearer  it  seemed  to  success,  was  in  despair. 
He  tried  to  borrow  the  sum  he  needed  from  his 
employer,  but  met  with  a  gruff  refusal.  He  in 
vented  a  dozen  ingenious  plans,  but  they  all  re 
quired  time,  and  had  therefore  to  be  abandoned. 
Every  time  he  could  find  a  pretext  for  leaving 
the  store,  he  rushed  over  to  his  brother's  room, 
and  stood  wringing  his  hands  in  helpless  grief, 
while  gazing  at  the  sallow  and  withered  features, 
in  which  a  spark  of  life  seemed  scarcely  to  be 
lingering.  He  walked  about  as  in  a  trance,  at 
tending  mechanically  to  his  duties,  but  hardly 
knowing  what  he  did,  always  pursued  by  the 
dread  that,  when  he  returned,  he  might  find  his 
brother  dead. 

It  so  happened  that,  after  a  day  spent  in  a  tort 
ure  of  apprehension,  Narve  was  sent  by  his  em 
ployer  on  board  an  English  schooner  which  was 
buying  fresh  salmon  to  be  taken  to  London  in 
refrigerators.  There  was  much  commotion  on 
board  because  one  of  the  sailors  had  just  been 
killed  by  a  fall  from  the  rigging.  The  captain 
was  anxious  to  sail,  but  did  not  dare  put  to  sea 
with  less  than  the  legal  number  of  men.  Ob 
serving  Narve's  sailor-like  appearance,  he  offered 
him  on  the  spur  of  the  moment  two  pounds  and 
free  passage  home  again,  if  he  would  go  with 
him. 


7O  NORSELAND   TALES 

"  I  shan't  want  the  passage  back,"  said  Narve  ; 
"  but  if  you'll  allow  me,  instead,  to  take  my 
brother  along,  who  is  ill,  I  am  your  man." 

"  All  right,"  said  the  captain. 

And  so  it  was  settled.  Narve  felt  as  if  his 
body  were  as  light  as  air.  He  tumbled  down 
into  the  boat,  rowed  ashore,  and  with  feverish 
anxiety  hastened  to  Paul's  room.  Ah,  there  he 
lay,  his  mouth  pinched,  as  if  in  death,  his  cheeks 
hollow,  his  eyes  listlessly  closed.  Narve  stood 
fora  moment  paralyzed  with  dread.  He  bounded 
across  the  floor  and  grasped  his  brother's  hand. 
God  be  praised,  there  was  yet  life  in  it. 

"  Brother,"  he  cried,  exultingly,  "  we  are  go 
ing." 

There  came  a  spark  of  consciousness  into  the 
invalid's  half-quenched  eyes,  as  he  murmured, 
"  Yes — I  am  going — brother — to  God." 

"  No,  child,  no !  Not  to  God,  but  to  Amer 
ica." 

Three  days  later  a  blond  giant,  carrying  in  his 
arms  a  limp  and  apparently  lifeless  form,  made  a 
sensation  in  the  streets  of  London,  and  three 
weeks  later  he  repeated  the  sensation  in  the 
streets  of  New  York. 


LIFE  FOR  LIFE 


III 

AFTER  a  month  of  futile  inquiry,  Narve  Tan- 
gen  got  a  position  as  clerk  with  Mr.  Tulstrup,  a 
Norwegian  merchant  who  dealt  in  fish-products 
which  he  imported  from  Norway.  Long  experi 
ence  had  made  Narve  a  connoisseur  in  cod-liver 
and  whale  oils,  and  enabled  him  to  detect  the 
slightest  adulteration.  He  thus  made  himself 
valuable  to  his  employer  and  gained  a  comfort 
able  livelihood.  But  for  all  that  he  was  not 
happy.  He  felt  limp  and  depressed,  and  all  his 
former  energy  seemed  to  have  deserted  him. 
It  was  only  by  a  violent  effort,  and  by  the 
thought  of  Paul's  dependence  upon  him,  that  he 
could  arouse  himself  to  attend  to  his  duties. 
The  terrible  uproar  of  Broadway  bewildered 
and  oppressed  him,  and  he  yearned  with  a  pas 
sionate  regret  for  the  silence  of  the  great  Arctic 
solitudes.  The  dear  familiar  sights  amid  which 
he  had  grown  up  haunted  his  thoughts  and 
made  him  pine  like  a  child  to  return  to  them. 
But  his  homeward  way  seemed  forever  to  be 
cut  off,  and  he  would  be  obliged  to  spend  his 
whole  life  in  this  strange  and  bewildering  land, 
amid  these  alien  sights  and  sounds. 

There  was  but  one  consolation  in  these  sor 
rows  :  Paul  was  gaining  strength.  With  every 


72  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

day  his  pleasure  in  life  revived  :  he  began  in  a 
cautious  way  to  study  English,  and  Mr.  Tul- 
strup's  daughter,  Miss  Ida,  who  had  become  in 
terested  in  the  strange  career  of  the  brothers, 
came  twice  a  week  and  talked  with  him  for  a 
couple  of  hours.  Paul,  who  in  spite  of  his  eigh 
teen  years  was  yet  a  child  in  mind,  identified 
her  immediately  with  the  noble  and  lovely  Flor 
de  Habana,  his  favorite  among  his  cigar-box 
heroines.  The  jewelled  rings  on  her  fingers,  the 
laces  and  bright  ribbons  on  her  dress,  the  ostrich- 
feathers  on  her  hat,  filled  him  with  wonder  and 
delight.  She  appeared  to  him  (though  she  was 
in  no  wise  extravagantly  apparelled)  like  a  figure 
out  of  the  "  Arabian  Nights  " — like  a  heaven 
sent  realization  of  the  dreams  he  had  dreamed 
during  his  long  solitude  and  misery.  In  Vardoe 
he  had  only  seen  women  dressed  in  wadmal  and 
coarse  homespun  ;  and  this  exquisite  creature, 
with  her  sweet  smile,  her  silken  hair,  and  her 
soft  hands,  seemed  scarcely  to  belong  to  the 
same  species.  If  he  could  only  have  walked 
with  her  through  the  palm-groves  with  which 
his  fancy  surrounded  the  city,  his  cup  of  happi 
ness  would  have  been  full.  The  gorgeous  roses 
she  brought  him  grew,  for  aught  he  knew,  on 
palm-trees  ;  and  he  pictured  to  himself  the  mag 
nificence  of  these  enchanted  groves,  redolent 
with  perfume  and  ablaze  with  color. 


LIFE  FOR  LIFE  73 

The  summer  following  their  arrival  in  New 
York  became  fateful  in  the  lives  of  the  two 
brothers.  While  the  heat,  which  was  often  in 
tense,  brought  a  daily  increase  of  strength  to 
Paul,  it  tortured  Narve  like  purgatorial  flames. 
While  Paul,  assisted  by  Ida,  was  taking  tenta 
tive  steps  across  the  floor  (for  the  two  had  en 
tered  into  a  friendly  conspiracy  to  surprise 
Narve),  the  elder  brother  sat  at  his  desk,  mop 
ping  the  perspiration  which  dripped  in  a  steady 
shower  from  his  brow,  and  feeling  dizzy  and  un 
done,  as  if  he  were  wilted  and  withered  in  his 
innermost  being.  Several  times  he  was  on  the 
point  of  fainting,  and  only  saved  himself  by 
grabbing  a  piece  of  ice  from  the  water-cooler 
and  pressing  it  against  his  temples.  It  appeared 
to  him  that  the  torture  was  less  unendurable 
when  he  moved  than  when  he  sat  still ;  and  on  a 
Sunday  afternoon  in  July  he  found  himself  stroll 
ing  through  Central  Park  and  pausing  idly  be 
fore  the  open-air  cages  of  the  menagerie.  His 
glance  fell  upon  a  polar  bear  who  was  swaying 
from  one  side  to  another  in  a  demented  fashion, 
and  pawing  incessantly  the  floor  of  his  cage,  in 
which  his  claws  had  worn  deep  grooves.  The 
tears  blinded  Narve's  eyes,  as  he  saw  his  forlorn 
compatriot,  his  comrade  in  misery. 

"  You  and  I  are  in  the  same  box,  old  chap," 
he  said,  stretching  his  hand  toward  the  caged 


74  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

beast.  "  You  have  gone  mad  and,  unless  God 
sends  help,  I  shall  soon  follow  suit." 

This  fancy  took  sudden  root  in  his  mind  and 
rose  up  like  a  threatening  spectre. 

"  I  shall  go  mad,  I  shall  go  mad,"  he  mur 
mured,  as  he  walked  ;  and  he  saw  himself  strug 
gling  in  insane  fury  with  a  dozen  men  who  were 
trying  to  bind  him.  He  doubled  his  speed,  as  if 
to  outrun  the  frightful  thought.  But  the  goblin 
had  come  to  stay :  it  sat  down  on  his  shoulder 
and  whispered  shuddering  things  in  his  ear. 
Breathlessly  Narve  hurried  along,  heedless  of 
the  blazing  sun  ;  people  stopped  and  stared  at 
him,  some  imagining  that  he  was  running  from 
the  police,  others  that  he  had  gone  mad.  Dizzy, 
exhausted,  and  drenched  with  perspiration,  he 
reached  the  door  of  his  boarding-house.  The 
horror  was  yet  in  his  mind  ;  his  blood  was  surg 
ing  in  his  ears  and  beating  with  hammer-blows 
in  his  temples.  And  yet  the  thought  of  Paul — 
the  dread  lest  his  condition  might  shock  his 
brother  —  enabled  him  to  gain  control  of  his 
whirling  fancies:  he  smoothed  his  hair  awk 
wardly,  and  strove  to  put  his  features  into  their 
accustomed  folds.  Then  with  unsteady  steps  he 
stalked  up  the  stairs,  and  opened  the  door. 
Merciful  God !  He  was  mad  indeed !  There 
stood  Paul  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  beaming 
with  happiness,  and  stretched  out  his  arms  to 


LIFE  FOR  LIFE  75 

him.      Narve   tottered    forward ;    terror    again 
seized  him. 

"  Paul,"  he  cried,  despairingly,  "  Paul — my 
brother !  "  and  fell  prostrate  at  his  feet. 

IV 

NARVE'S  illness  was  long  and  dangerous.  For 
a  week  he  alternated  between  a  heavy  stupor 
and  the  wildest  delirium.  He  talked  incessantly 
about  the  polar  bear  in  the  Park,  and  imagined 
himself  now  walking  arm  in  arm  with  him  on 
the  Fifth  Avenue,  now  travelling  with  him  back 
to  his  beloved  North,  now  sharing  his  cage  with 
him  in  the  Park,  swaying  from  side  to  side  and 
pawing  his  bed  in  the  same  frantic  fashion. 
When  Ida  Tulstrup  came  to  offer  her  services, 
and  brought  a  gorgeous  bouquet,  Narve  hurled 
her  Jacqueminot  roses  against  the  wall. 

"  Take  them  away — the  leprous  things  !  "  he 
shouted  :  "  they  smell  nasty  !  But  kelp — kelp — 
oh,  for  a  tangle  of  sea-weed  and  kelp,  with  the 
briny  smell  of  the  sea !  Give  me  big  black-backs 
— black-backs  rising  out  of  the  water — walrus 
and  whale  gambolling  among  the  icebergs  !  See 
how  they  spout!  Hurrah!  We  have  got 'em ! 
The  harpoon-gun — where  is  it?  Halloo  !  That's 
a  bouncer !  Give  it  to  him  !  Fire !  Turn  the 
swivel !  Fire,  I  say  !  Good  !  He  got  it  that 


76  NORSELAND  TALES 

time !  Next  time  he  comes  up  we'll  give  him 
another  'how  do  ye  do*  that'll  be  the  end  of 
him." 

In  this  strain  he  would  rave  by  the  hour.  All 
the  suppressed  hopes  and  longings  which,  out 
of  loyalty  to  'his  brother,  he  had  imprisoned  in 
his  bosom,  now  that  the  bars  had  been  removed, 
broke  loose  and  rioted.  If  Paul,  as  he  sat  at  the 
bedside,  had  been  less  self-absorbed  and  more 
lovingly  observant,  he  might  have  read  a  heart 
rending  story  in  these  wild  fancies  and  exclama 
tions.  But  the  heaviest  penalty  of  Paul's  life 
long  invalidism  was,  perhaps,  a  certain  inability 
to  return  love  for  love  and  care  for  care — a  cer 
tain  obtuseness  in  regard  to  the  feelings  of  others. 
He  had  never  in  his  life  had  a  single  responsi 
bility  of  his  own — never  known  or  recognized 
any  onerous  duty — never  been  conscious  of  an 
energetic  impulse  or  a  generous  desire.  It  is 
easy  to  blame  him  for  this  ;  but  a  low  vitality, 
perpetual  helplessness,  and  the  habit  of  accept 
ing,  but  never  giving — all  induced  by  his  disease 
— had  formed  Paul's  character  as  it  was,  and  he 
was  now  too  old  to  make  a  radical  change  in  it. 
Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  Narve's  illness  made 
no  deep  impression  upon  him.  He  regarded  it 
as  a  misfortune,  but  never  dreamed  of  attribut 
ing  to  himself  any  responsibility  for  it.  It 
seemed  to  him.  at  times,  almost  a  blessing  in  dis- 


LIFE  FOR  LIFE  77 

guise,  as  it  brought  him  into  more  frequent  con 
tact  with  Ida.  During  his  brother's  convales 
cence  he  was  often  invited  to  ride  on  the  Avenue 
and  through  the  Park  in  the  Tulstrup  carriage, 
and,  although  he  looked  in  vain  for  the  palm- 
groves,  he  found  wonders  enough  to  compensate 
him  for  their  loss.  He  soon  began  cautiously  to 
explore  the  city  on  foot,  and  took  a  child-like 
pleasure  in  everything  he  saw.  Particularly  the 
ladies  and  the  shop-windows  were  a  never-fail 
ing  source  of  delight  to  him.  Before  long  a  cer 
tain  pretence  of  fashion  became  visible  in  his 
attire ;  and  in  an  astonishingly  short  time  he  ac 
quired  the  gait  and  manner  of  the  native  dandy. 
Narve  watched  this  transformation  with  the 
melancholy  amusement  with  which  a  father 
watches  the  harmless  follies  of  his  child.  The 
question  of  Paul's  future  weighed  heavily  upon 
him,  now  that  he  had  discovered  that  his  own 
strength  had  its  limit.  He  offered  to  give  him 
lessons  in  writing,  arithmetic,  and  bookkeeping 
(reading  had  so  far  been  Paul's  only  accomplish 
ment),  but  was  always  met  with  the  cheerful  re 
joinder  that  there  was  no  particular  hurry. 

The  winter  was  half  gone  before  Narve  was 
able  to  resume  his  position  in  the  office.  But 
even  then  he  was  so  weak  that  he  had  to  limit 
himself,  at  first,  to  a  few  hours'  work.  By  his 
accurate  knowledge  of  the  conditions  in  the  ex- 


78  NORSELAND   TALES 

treme  North,  and  by  his  unerring  interpretation 
of  every  commercial  symptom,  he  had  been  of 
incalculable  service  to  Mr.  Tulstrup  and  enabled 
him  largely  to  increase  his  business.  The  mer 
chant  was  therefore  disposed  to  be  very  liberal 
in  his  dealings  with  him ;  but  Narve's  uncom 
promising  self-respect  scented  beforehand  every 
plan  for  making  him  a  beneficiary,  and  Mr.  Tul- 
strup's  benevolence  met  with  many  discouraging 
rebuffs.  Paul,  who  was  informed  by  Ida  of  his 
brother's  "  ungracious  behavior,"  was  quite  at  a 
loss  to  understand  him.  But  he  understood  him 
still  less  after  having  endeavored  to  call  him  to 
account. 

The  winter  was  unusually  cold,  with  two 
months  of  alternating  snow  and  frost,  and  Narve, 
revelling  in  the  sharp  northeasters,  felt  his  health 
and  spirits  reviving.  The  goblin  which  dwelt  in 
the  secret  chamber  of  his  soul  held  its  peace,  and 
rarely  showed  its  hideous  countenance.  But 
with  the  first  warm  days  of  spring  the  ferment 
of  his  blood  returned.  He  began  again  to  be 
haunted  by  the  thought  of  the  polar  bear,  and, 
much  as  he  dreaded  it,  felt  irresistibly  driven  to 
pay  it  a  visit.  It  was  a  warm  Sunday  in  May 
that  he  summoned  courage  for  this  resolution. 
He  purposely  kept  his  glance  averted  until  he 
was  right  before  the  cage.  Then  with  a  jerk  he 
turned  his  head.  The  cage  was  empty.  Narve 


LIFE  FOR  LIFE  79 

started  back  with  a  half-suppressed  exclamation. 
He  felt  like  a  man  who,  calling  upon  a  friend, 
finds  crape  on  the  bell-handle.  A  mysterious  tie 
seemed  to  have  bound  him  to  this  animal,  and 
a  half-superstitious  feeling  that  the  same  fate 
would  overtake  both.  He  scarcely  needed  to 
ask  the  keeper,  who  came  along  presently  with  a 
trough  full  of  meat,  what  had  become  of  the 
bear.  He  knew  that  he  was  dead. 

On  his  homeward  way  the  Norseman  felt  as  if 
he  had  received  his  death-warrant.  He  shud 
dered  at  the  fancies  which  rose  from  the  depth 
of  his  soul.  His  goblin  was  again  awake  and 
had  summoned  a  host  of  relatives  to  keep  it 
company.  Narve  knew  that  these  wild  imagin 
ings  were  but  symptoms  of  disease  ;  and  he  knew, 
too,  that  the  disorder  of  his  brain  was  due  to  his 
unfitness  to  cope  with  the  climate.  If  he  could 
but  leave  his  brother,  the  remedy  would  be  simple 
enough.  But  Paul  was,  even  with  his  health  re 
gained,  ignorant  and  helpless,  and  utterly  un 
equipped  to  grapple  with  the  perplexities  of  life. 
There  was  but  one  way  out  of  the  dilemma  ;  and 
that  was  to  accept  a  proposition,  previously  made 
by  Mr.  Tulstrup,  to  become  his  agent  and  the 
head  of  a  branch  of  his  business  which  he  in 
tended  to  establish  in  London.  The  moist  and 
even  climate  of  the  British  Isles,  with  no  ex 
tremes  of  heat  and  cold,  would  preserve  the 


8O  NORSELAA'D   TALES 

lives  of  both  brothers,  and  absolve  the  one  from 
the  necessity  of  sacrificing  himself  for  the  other. 
With  this  resolution  fixed  in  his  mind,  Narve  re 
turned  home,  and  found  his  brother  stretched 
out  upon  the  sofa,  reading  a  novel. 

"  Paul,"  he  said,  with  a  quiver  in  his  voice, 
"  this  climate  is  death  to  me." 

Paul  looked  up  from  his  book  and  knocked 
the  ashes  from  his  cigarette  with  his  little  finger. 
"  It  is  life  to  me,"  he  replied,  and  went  on  reading. 

Narve  began  to  pace  the  floor  with  long  strides. 
Beads  of  perspiration  trickled  down  over  his 
large,  pale  face  and  hung  in  his  tawny  beard. 
After  a  few  minutes  he  stopped  before  the  sofa 
where  Paul  lay.  "  What  would  you  do,  Paul," 
he  asked,  solemnly,  "  if  I  were  dead  ?  " 

"Ah,  my  dear  brother,"  rejoined  Paul,  im 
patiently  (for  his  novel  was  absorbingly  inter 
esting),  "  what  is  the  good  of  talking  of  such 
absurd  things  ?  When  you  are  dead,  it  will  be 
time  enough  to  discuss  that." 

"  I  am  not  joking,  Paul.  I  am  in  deadly 
earnest." 

"  Well,  that  is  just  your  failing,  brother.  You 
are  always  tormenting  yourself  with  some  such 
unpleasant  topic." 

"  I  beg  of  you,  do  not  joke.  I  feel  death  in 
my  heart;  and  I  am  much  troubled  to  think 
what  is  to  become  of  you.  I  do  not  like  to  re- 


LIFE  FOR  LIFE  8 1 

mind  you  that  once  I  saved  your  life.  Now  it  is 
your  turn  to  save  mine." 

Paul  dropped  his  novel  and  rose  into  a  half- 
sitting  posture.  A  sudden  pallor  overspread  his 
countenance  ;  his  lips  trembled. 

"  You — you — want  to  take  me  back — to  the 
North  Pole  !  "  he  cried,  with  sudden  terror. 

"  No,  not  to  the  Pole,  child,"  answered  Narve, 
soothingly.  "  Mr.  Tulstrup  has  offered  me  a 
place  in  England,  where  both  you  and  I  can  live 
without  danger  to  health.  I  want  you  to  come 
with  me." 

Paul  listened  intently,  with  fear  and  suspicion 
depicted  in  his  features. 

"  Ah,  that  is  a  foxy  plan  of  yours,"  he  ex 
claimed,  jumping  up  and  darting  across  the 
floor ;  "  don't  you  suppose  I  know  how  you  are 
pining  for  your  delightful  whale-hunts  and  eider- 
ducks  and  fish-smell  ?  If  you  get  me  so  far,  you 
will  soon  get  me  back  into  the  very  grip  of 
Death,  from  which,  as  you  say,  you  saved  me. 
But  I  am  not  such  a  child  as  you  think.  I  have 
friends  here,  and  I  have  found  health  and  life 
here,  and  I  am  not  going  away  to  accommodate 
anybody." 

He  had  worked  himself  up  into  such  a  passion 
that  he  could  not  keep  the  tears  back ;  and, 
being  ashamed  of  his  weakness,  he  sauntered 
into  the  sleeping-room,  flung  himself  on  his  bed, 


82  NORSE  LAND  TALES 

and  buried  his  face  in  the  pillows.  Narve,  cut 
to  the  quick  by  his  suspicion,  stood  long  listen 
ing  to  his  half-choked  sobs.  All  the  tenderness 
which  he  had  felt  for  him  from  his  earliest  years 
welled  up  from  the  depth  of  his  heart ;  and,  full 
of  repentance  for  the  grief  he  had  caused  him, 
he  sat  down  on  the  bed,  and  patiently  endured 
the  pettish  rebuffs  with  which  his  caresses  and 
overtures  for  peace  were  received.  He  re 
proached  himself  for  having  so  bluntly  stated 
his  proposition,  instead  of  gradually  preparing 
his  brother  for  it ;  and  he  resolved  in  future  to 
use  more  discretion.  But  his  recollection  of  his 
brother's  tears  and  terror  made  him  reluctant  to 
return  to  the  subject  again.  It  seemed  a  cowardly 
thing  for  him  as  the  stronger  (he  could  never 
quite  realize  the  thought  that  he  was  now  the 
weaker)  to  inflict  pain  upon  one  who,  in  his 
father's  dying  hour,  had  been  commended  to  his 
care.  And  so  the  days  went  by,  summer  ad 
vanced,  and  the  opportune  moment  for  reopen 
ing  the  subject  never  came.  The  Tulstrups 
went  to  the  country  earlier  than  usual,  and  left 
Paul  in  desolation. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  June.  The  heat 
had  come  with  a  rush  and  scattered  fashionable 
New  York  toward  all  the  points  of  the  compass. 
That  part  which  remained  on  Manhattan  Island 
was  decidedly  uncomfortable.  Only  a  few  tropi- 


LIFE  FOR  LIFE  83 

cal  characters  luxuriated  in  the  burning  sun. 
Paul  Tangen,  airily  and  daintily  clad,  was  saunter 
ing  down  Broadway,  smoking  a  cigarette.  He 
was  in  good  spirits,  because  he  had  recently  dis 
covered  a  new  novelist  who  pleased  him  and  a 
new  brand  of  cigarettes  which  did  not  give  him 
a  headache.  In  that  concentrated  bit  of  New 
York  between  Union  and  Madison  Squares  there 
were  crowds  of  people  and  traffic,  as  usual,  in 
spite  of  the  heat.  Paul  felt  exhilarated  at  the 
sight  of  it,  and  allowed  himself  to  be  carried 
along  by  the  current.  He  found  himself  pres 
ently  standing  in  a  dense  throng  of  people  before 
a  druggist's  window,  and  he  obeyed  the  general 
impulse  in  craning  his  neck  to  see  what  was 
going  on  inside. 

"  What  is  it  ? "  he  asked  his  neighbor  in  the 
crowd. 

"  Nothing  but  a  sunstroke,"  was  the  reply. 

"  A  sunstroke  !  " 

Paul  began  to  feel  vaguely  uneasy,  and  el 
bowed  his  way  to  the  front.  Then,  as  some  one 
moved  aside,  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  large 
blond  head,  with  closed  eyes,  upon  the  marble 
floor.  With  a  cry  he  sprang  forward  and  flung 
himself  upon  his  brother's  breast. 

"  Narve,  my  brother! — oh,  my  brother!"  he 
wailed,  piteously. 

Narve   half  opened   his  eyes.     There   was  a 


84  NORSE 1, AND   TALES 

strange,  remote  look  in  them,  then  a  fleeting 
gleam  as  of  joy. 

"  I  took  care  of — the  little  one — father,"  he 
murmured,  in  Norwegian, — "  took — care — of — 
— the  little  one." 

A  convulsive  shiver  shook  his  great  frame. 
The  doctor  who  had  come  with  the  ambulance 
stooped  and  listened  to  his  heart-beat. 

"  Nothing  to  be  done,"  he  said  :  "  he  is  dead." 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A  "DIG" 

I 

THEODORE  had  the  reputation  of  being  a  "  dig," 
and  was  not  popular  with  his  classmates.  His 
hands  were  soft,  like  those  of  a  girl,  his  hair 
was  carefully  brushed,  and  he  was  very  partic 
ular  about  his  clothes.  He  had  an  aversion  for 
all  kind  of  roughness,  and  retired  to  a  safe  dis 
tance  whenever  any  kind  of  noisy  game  was  in 
progress. 

You  will  conclude  from  this  that  Theodore 
was  not  very  happy  at  school ;  but  that  was  not 
exactly  the  case.  He  was  happy  enough  when  he 
recited  his  lessons  and  was  praised  by  his  teachers. 
It  was  only  the  recess  he  dreaded.  It  was  quite 
pitiful  to  see  the  tall,  pale-faced  lad  promenading 
up  and  down  on  the  sidewalk,  like  an  old  gentle 
man  taking  his  exercise,  and  casting  shy  glances 
at  his  boisterous  classmates.  And  if  by  chance 
the  crowd  approached  him,  he  would  take  to  his 
heels,  and  not  pause  until  he  had  gained  a  safe 
distance. 

There   was  one   of  his   classmates  of   whom 


86  NORSELAND  TALES 

Theodore  was  more  afraid  than  all  the  rest,  and 
that  was  saddler  Nordrup's  son  Rudolf.  He 
had  a  pair  of  red,  cracked,  and  scratched  fists, 
with  which  no  one  liked  to  come  in  hostile  con 
tact.  Their  owner  was  immensely  proud  of 
them,  and  studiously  kept  them  hard,  horny,  and 
awe-inspiring.  He  also  cultivated  all  kinds  of 
manly  accomplishments,  such  as  boxing,  wrest 
ling,  fishing,  and  shooting,  and  his  great  popu 
larity  in  the  school  was  due  to  his  skill  with  gun 
and  rod  and  cross-bow.  In  spite  of  his  some 
what  rough  appearance  every  boy  in  the  class, 
with  the  exception  of  Theodore,  courted  his 
favor,  and  felt  flattered  and  exalted  if  Rudolf 
deigned  to  notice  him. 

I  regret  to  say  that  this  much-admired  hero  of 
the  class  was  not  a  brilliant  scholar.  He  hated 
studying,  and  would  have  made  a  complete  fail 
ure  in  his  lessons  if  his  natural  quick  wit  and  a 
whispering  neighbor  had  not  somehow  helped 
him  out.  As  it  was,  he  barely  managed  to  scrape 
along  without  absolute  disgrace.  In  zoology 
and  geography  he  made  particularly  wretched 
recitations;  while  in  these  branches  his  rival, 
Theodore,  excelled.  Rudolf  knew  on  general 
principles  that  America  was  red,  Europe  green, 
and  Africa  blue  ;  but  beyond  these  interesting 
facts  his  perception  could  not  be  made  to  extend. 
He  felt  a  great  animosity  against  Turkey  be- 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  A    "DIG"  S/ 

cause  of  its  variable  color  (on  the  big  wall  map 
it  was  pink,  but  in  the  geography  it  was  green). 
The  Mississippi  flowed  through  too  many  States 
for  his  comfort ;  it  might  easily  have  been  con 
tent  with  half  the  number ;  and  in  pure  malice 
it  wound  itself  into  every  nook  and  corner  where 
there  was  a  shanty  town  whose  name  a  poor  boy 
had  to  remember.  Africa  was,  to  his  mind,  a 
much  more  agreeable  continent,  with  only  a  few 
names  scattered  along  the  coast,  and  all  the  rest 
a  great,  delightful,  easily  remembered  blank. 
But  there  was  danger  that  Stanley  might  in  time 
spoil  Africa  too. 

As  for  zoology,  Rudolf  had  always  imagined 
that  he  would  like  that  very  much.  He  had 
roamed  about  in  forest  and  field  since  he  was  old 
enough  to  walk  alone,  and  knew  every  bird  and 
beast  that  inhabited  them.  He  had  senses  as 
keen  as  those  of  an  Indian,  and  could  smell  a  fox  or 
a  badger  long  before  he  saw  him.  He  had  traps 
up  in.  the  glens,  two  or  three  miles  from  town, 
and  lived  in  a  state  of  perpetual  warfare  with 
certain  "  Mickies  "  whom  he  had  caught  stealing 
his  game.  He  formed  an  alliance  with  the  well- 
disposed  Markhus  boys,  who  lived  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  the  traps,  and  these  kept  an  eye  on 
the  movements  of  the  "  Mickies,"  and  reported  to 
headquarters.  So  well  did  Rudolf  finally  suc 
ceed  in  establishing  his  authority  that  no  one 


88  NORSELAND   TALES 

dared  to  touch  his  snares  or  traps.  He  had  by 
his  masterful  ways  acquired  a  kind  of  chieftain 
ship  which  no  one  thought  of  disputing.  It  was 
a  small  state  which  this  fourteen-year-old  boy, 
without  knowing  it,  had  established ;  and  in  at 
tending  to  its  many  concerns  he  found  little  time 
to  spare  for  his  lessons.  Compared  to  subjects 
of  such  absorbing  interest  as  the  feud  with  the 
"  Mickies"  and  the  defensive  alliance  with  the 
Markhus  boys,  the  color  of  Africa  and  the  boun 
daries  of  Germany  seemed  trivial  affairs. 

II 

IT  is  a  curious  thing  how  the  same  crazes  will 
attack  boys  in  countries  widely  removed.  Nor 
wegian  boys  play  at  marbles  and  ball,  as  do 
their  American  brothers.  They  dig  for  hidden 
treasures  and  form  mysterious  fraternities  with 
secret  grips  and  blood-curdling  passwords. 

Theodore,  though  he  was  born  in  Norway, 
and  had  opportunities  for  sport  which  city-bred 
American  lads  are  deprived  of,  cultivated  the 
same  indoor  amusements  which  are  prevalent  on 
this  side  of  the  ocean. 

One  day  he  was  sitting  in  his  handsomely 
appointed  room  inspecting  his  collections ;  for  he 
was  a  great  collector.  His  first  craze  had  been 
postage-stamps,  of  which  he  had  several  thou- 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A    "DIG"  89 

sands,  all  neatly  arranged  in  an  album,  under  the 
appropriate  countries.  He  had  the  flags  of  the 
countries  too,  their  coats  of  arms,  and  the  pict 
ures  of  their  sovereigns  pasted  at  the  top  of 
the  page.  But  after  having  for  three  years 
expended  his  pocket-money  on  rare  stamps,  his 
interest  began  to  flag,  and  at  last  expired.  He 
then  threw  his  affection  upon  cigarette  pictures, 
of  which  he  accumulated  a  large  and  valuable 
collection.  But  one  year  sufficed  to  put  an  end 
to  this  fancy.  Then  a  book  fell  into  his  hands 
describing  the  delights  of  the  woods  in  summer, 
and  recommending  insects'  and  birds'  eggs  as 
the  most  instructive  objects  upon  which  to  ex 
pend  his  collector's  mania.  And  forthwith  he 
resolved  to  go  out  into  the  woods  and  gather 
specimens  for  these  new  collections. 

It  was  on  a  beautiful  Saturday  afternoon  in 
June  that  he  started  out,  picking  his  way  cau 
tiously  along  the  sidewalk,  and  putting  on  his 
eye-glasses,  so  that  he  might  keep  a  sharp  look 
out  for  rough  boys.  He  walked  along  for  half 
an  hour  with,  his  nose  in  the  air,  swinging  his 
slender  cane,  spying  anxiously  to  the  right  and 
to  the  left  for  the  dreaded  Mickies.  Now  and 
then  he  stopped  to  brush  the  dust  off  his  fine 
coat,  or  to  whip  it  off  his  polished  shoes  with  his 
handkerchief.  It  seemed  a  very  long  distance. 
The  sun  was  shining  warmly,  and  he  was  begin- 


9O  NORSELAND   TALES 

ning  to  perspire.  And  there  was  nowhere  a 
bench  nor  anything  to  sit  down  upon.  Nor  did 
he  see  any  birds'  eggs ;  and  of  insects,  only  flies 
and  mosquitoes  were  visible,  and  they  were  vis 
ible  in  uncomfortable  numbers.  Theodore  had 
determined  first  to  secure  some  fine  specimens 
of  ants,  of  whose  habits  and  domestic  arrange 
ments  he  had  read  the  most  astonishing  things. 
"  They  belong  to  the  family  of  the  Formicaria" 
he  repeated  to  himself ;  "  live  in  communities, 
have  a  triangular  head,  strong  mandibles,  long 
geniculate  antennae,"  etc. 

The  road  was  now  becoming  rougher;  was,  in 
fact,  nothing  but  a  bridle-path  that  climbed,  with 
many  hooks  and  crooks,  up  the  steep  glen,  in  the 
bottom  of  which  ran  a  creek.  The  recent  rains 
and  the  thaw  on  the  mountains  had  swelled  the 
volume  of  water  in  this  little  stream,  and  it  now 
came  plunging  down  over  the  rocks  with  a  rush 
and  merry  tumult  which  would  have  gladdened 
any  heart  that  was  not  choked  up  with  the  dust 
of  books.  But  Theodore  was  too  intent  upon  his 
ants  and  birds'  eggs  to  listen  to  the  brook.  It 
was  not  at  all  so  pleasant  in  the  woods,  he 
thought,  as  the  book  had  said.  In  the  first  place, 
he  was  in  constant  danger  of  tearing  his  clothes  ; 
and,  secondly,  the  sharp  stones  nearly  cut 
through  the  thin  soles  of  his  boots.  He  was 
growing  very  tired,  and  not  a  single  specimen 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  A    "DIG"  91 

had  he  yet  found.  He  could  not  go  much  fur 
ther  without  resting ;  anxiously  he  looked  about 
for  a  place  where  he  might  sit  down. 

Ah  !  there  was  the  very  thing  he  was  seeking — 
a  curious  elevation  of  the  ground  resembling  a 
broken  cone,  and,  as  far  as  he  could  see,  per 
fectly  dry.  Exhausted  with  his  labor,  Theodore 
dropped  unsuspiciously  down  upon  this  natural 
seat.  It  gave  way  a  little  under  his  weight,  but 
not  much.  Ah !  how  good  it  was  to  rest  after 
such  a  climb !  If  he  only  had  a  drink  of  water 
now  he  would  be  perfectly  happy.  But  un 
fortunately  he  had  not  brought  a  glass.  How, 
then,  was  he  to  get  a  drink? 

But,  good  gracious !  what  was  that?  Theodore 
felt  a  violent  pain  in  his  arms  and  legs,  and,  cast' 
ing  his  eyes  upon  his  hands,  he  found  them 
covered  with  a  perfect  swarm  of  black  creeping 
things.  He  gave  a  scream  of  horror  and  tried 
to  rise ;  but  the  slippery  pine-needles  gave  him 
no  footing,  and  he  fell  back  into  the  cone-shaped 
elevation  and  lost  his  eye-glasses.  Frantic  with 
pain,  he  rolled  down  to  a  tree,  against  which  he 
distractedly  rubbed  himself,  and  finally  suc 
ceeded  in  rising.  What  could  that  have  been 
that  he  had  sat  down  upon?  And  those  myriads 
of  busy  little  black  fiends,  what  and  who  were 
they? 

It  suddenly  occurred  to  him    while   he   was 


92  NORSE  LAND  TALES 

crying  and  rubbing  himself  against  the  pine-tree 
that  ants  lived  in  communities.  Could  it  be 
possible  that  it  was  a  community  of  ants  he  had 
sat  down  upon  ?  Ants  had  strong  mandibles,  to 
be  sure,  as  he  was  experiencing  to  his  grief,  but 
the  book  said  nothing  about  their  biting.  But 
now  it  burst  upon  Theodore  like  a  great  light 
that  that  was  what  the  strong  mandibles  were 
for.  But  who  could  tell  ?  Perhaps  they  were 
not  ants,  after  all,  for  ants  had  such  very  inter 
esting  domestic  habits,  and  the  habits  of  these 
vulgar  little  biting  things  were  the  most  dis 
agreeable  he  had  ever  come  across.  He  did  not 
find  them  in  the  least  interesting.  It  was  all 
very  well  to  live  in  communities  and  have  tri 
angular  heads  and  geniculate  antennas,  but  if 
this  was  the  use  they  put  them  to  they  ought  to 
be  ashamed  of  themselves.  "  That  must  be  a 
nice  community,"  he  thought  to  himself,  "  where 
everybody  bites.  Why,  they  would  in  the  end 
eat  each  other  up." 

But,  in  the  meantime,  as  they  were  now  en 
gaged  in  eating  him  up,  his  first  task  was  to  get 
rid  of  them.  So  he  crawled  down  to  the  creek, 
took  off  his  coat  and  trousers,  and,  seating  him 
self  on  a  stone,  began  to  pick  off  the  ants  and 
drop  them  into  the  water.  It  was  a  long  and 
laborious  task,  and  extremely  unpleasant.  It 
gave  him,  however,  a  kind  of  vindictive  enjoy- 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  A    "DIG"  93 

ment  to  see  his  tormentors  squirming  and  writh 
ing  in  the  pools,  whirling  around  and  turning 
somersaults  in  the  eddies  and  darting  headlong 
down  the  tiny  cascades. 

He  was  in  the  midst  of  this  labor,  when  sud 
denly  he  heard  a  rustling  in  the  underbrush  on 
the  other  side  of  the  creek.  What  could  that 
be  ?  Surely  not  bears !  Now  there  came  a 
queer,  hoarse  sound,  which  chilled  his  blood 
with  horror.  He  jumped  up  quickly,  and  cast 
anxious  glances  about  him.  A  great,  hairy, 
rusty-brown  beast  stuck  its  head  out  among  the 
bushes !  Now  he  was  lost.  It  was  a  bear  in 
deed.  He  stood  spellbound  with  fear.  It  was 
not  one  bear ;  there  was  a  full  dozen  of  them. 
Now  they  were  coming  right  down  upon  him ! 
With  a  wild  cry  Theodore  took  to  his  heels,  tore 
through  the  bushes,  and  ran  and  ran  and  ran  as 
fast  as  his  legs  would  carry  him.  He  did  not 
perceive  that  the  supposed  bears  were  quite  as 
frightened  as  he  was,  and  were  scampering  away 
down  the  glen  in  the  opposite  direction. 

Theodore  did  not  know  how  long  he  had  been 
running,  when  he  stumbled  over  a  stone  and  fell 
at  full  length  upon  the  ground.  He  was  all  out 
of  breath,  his  temples  were  throbbing  furiously, 
and  his  hands  and  neck  were  torn  and  bleeding. 
He  made  a  feeble  exertion  to  rise,  but  tumbled 
down  again.  For  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes  he 


94  NORSELAND   TALES 

lay  perfectly  still,  trembling  lest  the  bears 
should  find  him,  but  feeling  too  exhausted  to 
make  any  effort  to  escape  them.  But  as  he 
neither  heard  nor  saw  anything  to  cause  alarm, 
his  fears  were  gradually  quieted,  and  his  strength 
returned  to  him.  Cautiously  he  raised  himself 
on  his  elbow  and  peered  about  him.  With  con 
sternation  he  remembered  what  in  his  fright  he 
had  forgotten — he  had  run  away  from  his  coat, 
waistcoat,  and  trousers,  and  was  now  elegantly 
arrayed  in  a  torn  shirt  and  a  pair  of  drawers 
that  hung  in  tatters  about  his  legs.  If  it  were 
only  safe  to  retrace  his  steps,  he  might  perhaps 
find  the  indispensable  garments  where  he  had 
left  them. 

With  this  resolution,  he  rose  to  his  feet,  and, 
steadying  himself  against  a  tree,  began  to  ex 
plore  the  territory.  He  had  not  the  faintest 
idea  of  where  he  was,  nor  could  he  determine 
from  what  direction  he  had  come.  Presently  a 
strange  object  attracted  his  attention.  He  saw 
in  every  other  tree  a  bent  twig  that  had  been 
fastened  with  both  ends  in  the  bark,  making  a 
round  arch  set  sideways.  In  many  of  these 
arches  hung  dead  birds.  Theodore  was  so  as 
tonished  that  he  forgot  all  his  fear.  Shyly  he 
approached  one  of  the  trees,  and  touched  the 
little  feathered  corpse.  The  poor  thing  had  evi 
dently  hanged  itself,  for  it  had  a  horse-hair  noose 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  A    "DIG"  95 

about  its  neck.  It  was  indeed  most  singular. 
Theodore  had  never  known  before  that  birds 
were  in  the  habit  of  committing'  suicide. 

The  boy  hunted  instinctively  for  his  eye 
glasses  that  he  might  inspect  it  more  closely. 
Alas !  he  could  not  find  them.  But  as  his 
glance  fell  upon  the  ground  something  still 
more  startling  invaded  his  vision.  There  sat  a 
gray  rabbit  bolt-upright,  staring  at  him.  It  did 
not  seem  to  be  in  the  least  frightened  as  he  ap 
proached  it.  With  statuesque  immobility  it  sat 
in  the  heather,  its  bead-like  eyes  almost  starting 
out  of  its  head  with  astonishment.  Theodore, 
seeing  that  it  was  so  tame,  determined  to  pick  it 
up  and  pet  it.  So  he  stepped  boldly  up  to  the 
rabbit,  when  —  goodness  gracious  !  what  was 
that?  An  invisible  pair  of  steel  jaws  snapped 
on  his  leg,  and  he  fell  to  the  ground  in  an  agony 
of  pain  and  terror.  He  screamed  and  shrieked, 
but  no  one  heard  him.  He  felt  the  blood  trick 
ling  down  his  ankle,  and  a  set  of  sharp,  cruel 
teeth  boring  themselves  into  his  flesh. 

What  could  this  dreadful  monster  be  that  had 
caught  him  ?  Was  it  a  wild  beast  hidden  in  the 
ground,  or  was  it  a  fiendish  sprite  that  roamed 
invisible  through  the  woods,  destroying  unwary 
wanderers  ?  This  latter  fancy,  as  it  flashed 
through  Theodore's  brain,  made  his  hair  stand 
on  end.  But,  curiously  enough,  the  monster, 


g6  NORSELAND   TALES 

whether  natural  or  supernatural,  kept  still.  The 
steel  jaws  were  locked  on  his  leg  two  inches 
above  his  ankle  ;  but  though  they  held  him  with 
a  relentless  grip,  they  were  absolutely  motion 
less.  The  boy,  after  a  few  moments,  began  to 
reflect  upon  this. 

Fumbling  with  his  hands,  he  felt  something 
soft  and  downy,  and  presently  discovered  that  it 
was  the  rabbit.  But  what  a  very  odd  rabbit  it 
was  to  keep  so  quiet !  It  must  have  been  en 
chanted.  Theodore  pinched  it  cautiously,  and 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was  stuffed. 
Would  wonders  never  cease  ?  A  stuffed  rabbit 
sitting  in  the  most  life-like  position  in  the  heath 
er,  and  birds  that  had  hanged  themselves  in  the 
trees  !  There  could  be  no  doubt  that  this  was 
an  enchanted  forest,  like  the  one  described  in 
"  Undine,"  and  probably  it  had  no  beginning 
and  no  end,  and  the  paths  crossed  and  inter 
twined  in  an  inextricable  maze,  from  which  he 
could  never  hope  to  escape. 

Theodore  wept  bitterly  when  he  thought  of 
the  terrible  position  he  was  in.  He  closed  his 
eyes  and  tried  not  to  think ;  but  the  pain  in  his 
leg,  which  was  swelling  about  the  wound,  kept 
him  awake.  For  an  hour  he  lay  thus,  but  it 
seemed  to  him  an  eternity.  Suddenly  a  shrill 
unearthly  whistle  was  heard.  His  heart  beat 
wildly.  What  could  it  be  ?  Steps  were  ap- 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  A    "DIG"  9/ 

preaching.  A  sharp  report  rent  the  air,  and  a 
great  brown  bird  came  tumbling  down  through 
the  branches  of  the  tree  under  which  he  was 
lying.  Then  a  loud  cry  of  astonishment 
struck  his  ear.  It  had  a  very  human  sound  in 
deed. 

"  Hi,  there,  you  blockhead !  what  are  you  do 
ing  in  my  fox-trap?"  shouted  a  voice,  which 
Theodore  recognized  as  that  of  his  enemy  Ru 
dolf. 

"Oh,  help  me,"  he  whimpered,  "or  I  shall 
die." 

"  Well,  you  are  a  queer  kind  of  coon,  I  must 
say,"  Rudolf  exclaimed,  as  he  stooped  down, 
and  with  great  caution  unlocked  the  fox-trap. 
"  What  on  earth  possessed  you  to  walk  into  my 
trap  ?  Did  you  mistake  yourself  for  a  fox  ?  If 
it  had  been  a  donkey-trap,  now,  your  mistake 
would  have  been  pardonable." 

"  1  didn't  see  any  trap,"  groaned  Theodore. 

"  No  ;  but  you  saw  the  bait,  didn't  you  ?  " 

"  I  only  saw  a  rabbit." 

"  Precisely  ;  that  rabbit  was  the  bait." 

His  leg  was  now  released,  but  it  still  hurt.  It 
was  blue-black  where  the  teeth  of  the  trap  had 
pierced  it,  and  much  swollen.  Rudolf  stood  re 
garding  it  with  a  cool  professional  air ;  then  he 
lifted  his  prostrate  comrade  in  his  arms,  and  car 
ried  him  down  to  the  brook.  There  he  bathed 
7 


98  NORSRLAND   TALES 

his  wounded  leg  ;  and  when  the  swelling  had 
gone  down,  he  cut  a  neat  piece  out  of  the  sleeve 
of  his  shirt,  and  bandaged  the  wound. 

"  Now  tell  me,"  said  the  amateur  surgeon 
when  he  had  finished  his  operation,  "  what  have 
you  done  with  your  clothes  ?  " 

"  Well,"  answered  Theodore,  timidly,  "  you 
know,  I  sat  down  on  a  community " 

"  Sat  down  on  a  community  !  "  ejaculated  Ru 
dolf.  "  How  did  you  manage  to  do  that  ?  " 

"  I  mean,  of  course,  a  community  of  ants." 

"  A  community  of  ants !  Well,  if  that  don't 
beat  the  Dutch  !  I  wouldn't  sit  down  on  a  com 
munity  of  my  aunts  for  a  mint  of  money." 

"  They  were  little,  black,  creeping  things,"  ex 
plained  the  victim. 

"  Oh,  I  see  !  "  cried  Rudolf,  flinging  himself 
down  on  the  heather,  and  rolling  and  writh 
ing  with  laughter ;  "  you  sat  down  in  an  ant 
hill." 

"  Ant-hill  ?     Is  that  what  you  call  it  ?  " 

"  Yes.     And  did  they  eat  up  your  clothes  ?  " 

"  No  ;  but  I  had  to  take  them  off,  and  while  I 
was  sitting  at  the  brook  killing  the  little  beasts, 
there  came  a  herd  of  bears " 

"  A  herd  of  bears  !  Who  ever  heard  of  such 
a  thing  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  surely  saw  them." 

"  How  did  they  look  ?  " 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  A    ffD7G"  99 

"  They  were  dusky  brown  or  black,  with  long 
shaggy  hair " 

"  Oh,  you  innocent  jackanapes !  "  roared  Ru 
dolf,  and  burst  out  again  into  a  ringing  laugh. 
"  Those  were  sheep — black  sheep." 

"  But  sheep  are  nice  little  soft  white  things, 
like  the  Agnus  Dei  in  the  catechism." 

"  Oh  no !  they  are  not  a  bit  like  that.  What 
next  ?  " 

"  Well,  they  frightened  me  very  much,  and  I 
ran  till  I  came  here.  But  tell  me,  please,  why 
all  those  birds  have  hanged  themselves  ?  " 

"  Hanged  themselves  ?  Well,  I  put  up  the 
snares,  and  they  did  not  have  the  sense  to  see 
that  it  was  a  trap." 

"  Poor  things  !  " 

The  two  boys  talked  on  together,  and  Theo 
dore  was  amazed  at  the  things  he  learned.  In 
all  his  long  poring  over  books  he  had  never 
gathered  so  much  information  as  he  obtained 
from  this  boy  whom  he  had  always  regarded 
as  vulgar  and  dull.  He  gazed  at  his  former 
foe  with  undisguised  admiration,  and  secretly 
wished  he  could  be  like  him.  Rudolf  looked 
the  picture  of  manly  vigor  as  he  stood  leaning 
upon  his  gun,  with  the  hawk  he  had  shot  slung 
across  his  shoulder. 

"  Now  we'll  have  to  hunt  for  your  clothes." 
And  putting  two  fingers  into  his  mouth,  he 


IOO  NORSELAND   TALES 

sounded  three  piercing  whistles  which  re-echoed 
from  the  mountain. 

"  Why  did  you  do  that  ?  "  asked  Theodore. 

"  You'll  see,  presently." 

Within  five  minutes  two  boys  came  running 
up  the  glen  and  greeted  their  chieftain. 

"  Go  and  find  the  clothes  of  this  boy,"  Rudolf 
commanded  ;  "  they  are  somewhere  along  the 
course  of  the  creek."  The  boys  departed  as 
quickly  as  they  had  come. 

"  Who  are  they  ?  "  cried  Theodore,  in  amaze 
ment. 

"  They  are  my  Merry  Men.  They  guard  my 
traps  from  the  Mickies." 

Within  fifteen  minutes  the  Merry  Men  re 
turned,  bringing  Theodore's  clothes,  and  as 
sisted  him  in  pulling  them  on.  Then  they  made 
a  litter  of  branches,  and  at  their  chief's  behest 
carried  the  invalid  back  to  town.  It  was  quite 
a  triumphant  entry  Theodore  made,  and  never 
had  he  felt  so  much  of  a  hero  as  when,  under 
Rudolf's  protection,  he  was  carried  through  the 
streets,  with  his  bandaged  leg  conspicuously 
displayed. 

From  that  time  forth  the  two  boys  began  to 
cultivate  each  other's  society,  and  soon  became 
friends.  Theodore,  though  he  never  became  a 
sportsman,  learned  to  use  his  eyes,  and  to  de 
light  in  that  close  observation  of  nature  without 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  A    "DIG"  IOI 

which  books  can  teach  us  nothing,  and  Rudolf 
learned  by  Theodore's  aid  and  encouragement 
to  take  more  kindly  to  his  studies  and  to  over 
come  his  antipathy  to  books. 


THE  RUNAWAY'S  THANKSGIVING 

COLONEL  LANDMARK  was  a  very  irascible  and 
yet  a  very  kind-hearted  gentleman.  He  loved 
his  son  Fritz  better  than  his  life  ;  but,  for  all  that, 
there  were  times  when  they  did  not  exactly  get 
along  pleasantly.  At  such  times  the  Colonel 
was  in  the  habit  of  referring  pathetically  to  his 
gray  hairs  (which,  by  the  way,  were  not  his  own) 
and  intimating  that  his  son's  wickedness  would 
be  sure,  some  day,  to  bring  them  with  sorrow  to 
the  grave.  Fritz  was  quite  familiar  with  this 
phrase,  and  it  had  long  ceased  to  affect  him. 
He  did  not  believe  that  he  was  quite  so  bad  as 
his  father  asserted  in  his  moments  of  anger. 
And  thus  it  came  to  pass  that  the  next  time  the 
Colonel  rebuked  him,  he  made  a  reply,  which 
was  both  disrespectful  and  unfilial,  and  which 
brought  with  it  a  long  train  of  evil  consequences. 

"  You  are  a  very  disagreeable  boy,  Fritz,"  said 
the  Colonel. 

"  Excuse  me,  Papa ;  but  I  don't  think  so,"  an- 
swered  Fritz,  dauntlessly. 

"  You  will  bring  your  father's  gray  hairs  with 
sorrow  to  the  grave,"  said  the  Colonel. 


THE  RUNAWAY'S  THANKSGIVING  IO3 

"  No,  I  won't ! "  replied  Fritz. 

The  Colonel  rose  threateningly,  and  took  two 
long  strides  toward  his  son. 

"  Well,  well — I  will,  then.  I  will  bring  your 
gray  hairs  with  sorrow  to  the  grave  !  "  cried  the 
boy,  in  alarm. 

"Why,  then,  did  you  say  you  wouldn't?" 
asked  his  father,  angrily  seizing  him  by  his  col 
lar. 

"  Because  you  wear  a  wig,  Papa.  I  will  bring 
your  gray  wig  with  sorrow  to  the  grave,  if  you 
like." 

Fritz  repented  of  the  remark  when  he  had 
made  it ;  but  it  was  then  too  late.  The  Colonel, 
who  was  an  old-fashioned  man  and  believed  in 
old-fashioned  methods  of  discipline,  conducted 
his  son  to  a  room  at  the  top  of  the  house,  locked 
him  in,  and  commanded  him  to  commit  a  hun 
dred  lines  of  Virgil  to  memory.  Instead  of  din 
ner  he  got  a  dish  of  dry  bread  and  water,  and 
for  supper  he  was  served  with  a  similar  repast. 
Finally,  when  after  three  trials  he  succeeded  in 
reciting  the  hundred  lines  about  Dido  correctly, 
he  was  told  to  run  down  to  the  beach  and  take 
some  exercise  before  going  to  bed.  It  was  then 
nearly  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  the  long 
gray  beach  looked  lonely  and  deserted.  The 
surf  beat  monotonously  against  the  black  boul 
ders  and  retreated  again  with  a  hushed  whisper, 


104  NORSELAND  TALES 

only  to  rush  forward  again,  with  a  long,  thun 
dering  roar. 

Fritz,  while  listening  to  this  mighty  commo 
tion,  which  had  been  his  lullaby  since  the  day  he 
was  born,  walked  up  and  down  on  the  sand,  and 
gazed  longingly  out  toward  the  misty  horizon. 
He  was  boiling  over  with  rebellious  feelings 
toward  his  father,  and  was  determined  never  to 
see  his  face  again.  If  he  could  only  flee  to  some 
happy  land  beyond  the  ocean  where  there  were 
no  fathers  ;  or,  better  still,  where  boys  had  the 
direction  of  things,  and  fathers  were  made  to 
obey.  Then,  he  was  convinced,  he  could  make 
some  important  improvements  in  the  condition 
of  society.  In  Norway  (I  believe  I  forgot  to 
state  that  Fritz  was  a  Norwegian  boy)  fathers 
had  altogether  too  much  authority  for  anybody's 
comfort  but  their  own,  and,  as  a  general  rebellion 
of  the  boys  would  be  difficult  to  organize,  and 
uncertain  in  its  result,  there  was  no  choice  left 
but  to  emigrate  to  some  country  where  youth 
was  held  in  honor,  and  age  was  held  to  be  a 
calamity,  if  not  a  disgrace.  If  Fritz  had  had  a 
mother,  who  could  have  comforted  him  when  he 
felt  lonely  and  abused,  I  am  sure  he  would  soon 
have  been  made  aware  that  his  father  punished 
him  for  his  own  good,  and  not  for  amusement. 

While  Fritz  was  ruminating  these  bitter 
thoughts,  he  heard  the  splash  of  oars  and  the 


THE  RUNAWAY'S  THANKSGIVING  IO5 

click  of  row-locks,  and  soon  saw  a  boat  emerging 
from  the  dusk  and  approaching  the  pier.  He 
ran  out  to  meet  it,  and  seized  the  rope  which 
the  oarsman  flung  to  him.  The  occupant  of  the 
boat  was  a  sailor,  dressed  in  a  complete  suit  of 
yellow  oilskin,  and  with  a  sou' wester  of  the  same 
material  on  his  head. 

"  Got  a  plug  ?  "  he  asked,  as  he  stepped  up  on 
the  pier  and  tied  his  boat. 

"  A  plug  ?  "  asked  Fritz,  doubtfully  ;  "  is  your 
boat  leaking  ?  " 

"  Greenhorn  !  "  growled  the  sailor,  contemptu 
ously.  "  I  mean  a  plug  of  tobacker." 

Fritz  regretted  exceedingly  that  he  did  not 
happen  to  have  any. 

"  Sail  in  the  third  watch,"  said  the  laconic 
mariner.  "  No  tobacker.  Had  to  get  some. 
Couldn't  start  fur  America  without  a  plug." 

"  America  !  "  cried  Fritz,  delightedly.  "  Are 
you  going  to  America  ?  " 

"  You  bet." 

"  And  won't  you  take  me  along  ?  " 

"  Call  day  after  to-morrow,"  remarked  the 
sailor,  dryly. 

"  But  then  you'll  be  gone !  "  said  Fritz,  inno 
cently. 

"  Exactly,"  responded  the  sailor. 

"  Tell  me  one  thing  at  least,  before  you  go," 
said  Fritz,  eagerly.  "  Isn't  it  true  that  in  Amer- 


106  NORSELAND  TALES 

ica  boys  are  of  much  more  account  than  they 
are  here  ?  " 

"  True  as  Gospel,"  said  the  mariner. 

"  And  I  have  been  told,  too,  that  American 
fathers  do  very  much  what  their  sons  tell  them 
to  do." 

"  That's  so,"  responded  the  mariner,  with  im 
perturbable  gravity. 

"  And  boys  do  all  the  talking  at  table,  and  are 
not  forced  to  sit  dumb  as  mummies,  as  they  do 
here?" 

"  Cor-rect  you  are.  America  is  the  land  fur 
boys.  You  may  bet  your  hat  on  that.  It  is 
the  boys  that  run  everything  there — even  poli 
tics."  ' 

"  Isn't  that  glorious !  "  ejaculated  Fritz,  slap 
ping  his  leg  ecstatically.  "  America  is  the  place 
for  me.  Papa  says  there  are  no  homes  and  no 
family  life  there ;  and  it  is  just  that  which  makes 
me  want  to  go  there.  I  have  had  quite  my  fill 
of  family  life,  thank  you  ;  and  now  I  mean  to 
shift  for  myself,  and  let  the  family  go  to  the 
dogs." 

The  sailor,  who  had  seated  himself  on  one  of 
the  posts  of  the  pier,  listened  attentively  to 
Fritz's  indignant  exclamations. 

"  Do  you  know,"  he  said  at  last,  "  I  rather  like 
you.  You  are  a  spunky  little  chap,  and,  if  you 
can  get  me  a  couple  of  plugs  of  tobacker  to- 


THE  RUNAWAY'S  THANKSGIVING  IO? 

night,  I'll  take  you  on  board,  and  stow  you  away 
in  the  hull,  until  we  are  a  day  or  two  at  sea. 
Then  you  may  come  out.  But  mum  is  the 
word,  you  understand.  If  you  blab,  I'll  break 
every  bone  in  yer  anatomy." 

Fritz  promised  solemnly  that  he  would  never 
betray  his  benefactor,  and  jumped  with  alacrity 
into  the  boat.  The  sailor,  with  the  same  imper 
turbable  manner,  took  him  by  the  arm,  and,  lift 
ing  him  up,  put  him  back  again  on  the  pier. 

"  The  plugs,  my  friend  !  "  he  said.  "  Without 
plugs,  no  America." 

"  Oh  !  I  forgot !  "  exclaimed  Fritz,  digging 
desperately  into  his  pockets.  "  Hello ! "  he  yelled 
suddenly,  hauling  a  coin  from  its  cavernous 
depths :  "  Here  is  my  last  week's  pocket  money. 
It  is  one  mark.*  You  can  get  half  a  dozen 
plugs  for  that." 

Fritz's  nautical  friend  seized  the  coin  eagerly, 
tested  it  by  dropping  it  upon  the  stones  of  the 
pier,  and  vanished  with  the  utmost  speed  in  the 
direction  of  the  huckster's  store,  at  the  end  of 
the  bay.  Fritz,  in  the  meanwhile,  lay  on  his 
back  in  the  boat,  and  stared  up  into  the  dark 
sky.  Once  he  thought  he  heard  a  well-known 
voice,  calling  him  anxiously,  and  he  heard  rap 
id  military  steps  re-echoing  from  the  rocks 
along  the  beach.  His  resolution  began  to  wav- 

*  About  twenty-five  cents. 


108  NORSELAND   TALES 

er,  and  he  was  on  the  point  of  rising  and  re 
sponding  to  his  father's  call.  But  the  recollec 
tion  of  his  sufferings  in  the  lonely  room,  and 
his  struggles  with  "At  pius  ALncas" — and  so 
on,  steeled  his  heart  again,  and  restrained  his 
tongue. 

It  was  a  little  after  nine  o'clock  that  the  sailor 
returned,  in  a  blissful  state,  with  his  mouth  and 
his  pockets  full  of  tobacco.  In  fifteen  minutes 
more  they  boarded  the  good  ship,  Harold  the 
Fair-haired,  which  landed  them,  within  six  weeks, 
in  New  York. 


II 


NEW  YORK  is  a  perplexing  place  to  a  boy  of 
fourteen,  especially  if  he  has  no  money.  Fritz 
walked  up  Broadway  from  the  Battery,  and 
stared,  in  a  dazed  sort  of  fashion,  at  the  noisy 
stages,  the  enormous  trucks  loaded  with  mer 
chandise,  and  the  dense  crowds  of  people  that 
hurried  along  the  huge  thoroughfare.  Not  a 
soul  took  any  notice  of  him,  except  to  give  him 
an  occasional  push  into  the  gutter;  and  they  did 
not  even  say  "  Excuse  me."  They  were  terribly 
rude  folks,  those  Americans,  thought  Fritz.  He 
had  half  expected  that,  as  soon  as  he  made  him 
self  known  as  a  Norseman — a  descendant  of  the 
ancient  Vikings  who  were  the  first  to  discover 


THE  RUNAWAY'S  THANKSGIVING          IOQ 

America — the  boys  of  New  York  would  turn  out 
in  a  procession,  and  give  him  a  right  royal  wel 
come.  He  had  always  been  a  person  of  consid 
erable  consequence  among  boys  ;  and  when  his 
friend  Magnus  Thorson  went  to  the  United 
States,  a  year  ago,  he  had  sent  along  with  him 
an  address  to  the  Boys  of  America,  in  which  he 
had  expressed  some  very  fine  sentiments.  He 
began  to  wonder  to  whom  Magnus  had  given 
this  international  greeting,  and  where  he  should 
betake  himself  to  find  the  Boys  of  America.  In 
the  little  country  village  in  Norway,  where  he 
had  spent  his  life,  such  a  message  would  natur 
ally  be  delivered  to  himself,  as  he  was  the  ac 
knowledged  chieftain  of  the  juvenile  world 
within  his  parish.  Now,  if  he  only  could  find 
the  boy  who  held  a  corresponding  position  in 
New  York  !  He  scanned  curiously  the  face  of 
every  boy  he  met ;  but  they  were  all  shabbily 
dressed,  and  of  a  dirty  and  unkempt  appearance. 
Some  of  them  sold  newspapers,  others  blacked 
boots,  and  some,  who  were  dressed  in  uniforms, 
carried  letters  and  telegraph  dispatches.  Fritz 
was  jostled  about,  as  if  he  were  a  foot-ball ;  and 
whenever  he  stopped  to  address  any  of  these 
boys,  the  crowd  pushed  him  on  before  he  had 
uttered  a  syllable.  Finally,  when  he  had  reached 
the  City  Hall  Park,  he  found  a  group  of  boys 
who  seemed  to  have  sufficient  leisure  to  con- 


IIO  NORSELAND   TALES 

verse.  Respectfully  approaching  one  of  them, 
he  pulled  off  his  cap  and  said : 

"  If  you  will  excuse  me,  sir " 

The  boy,  who  carried  a  blacking-box  on  his 
shoulder  and  wore  a  coat  which  was  twice  his 
size,  gazed  at  Fritz  with  challenging  eyes,  and 
said  : 

"  Hey  !  what  are  ye  givin'  us  ?    Taffy  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  not  at  all,"  answered  Fritz,  seriously. 
He  had  no  idea  what  taffy  was ;  but  he  con 
cluded  from  the  boy's  challenging  manner,  that 
it  must  be  something  disagreeable. 

"  But  can  you  tell  me,"  he  continued,  blush 
ing  and  stammering  with  confusion,  "  which  is 
the — the  first,  the  king,  the  chieftain  of  the  boys 
of  New  York  ?  " 

His  English,  which  he  had  acquired  in  school 
and  from  an  English  tourist,  was  perfectly 
correct,  but  not  fluent.  The  boot-black,  at  all 
events,  caught  his  meaning  better  than  he  had 
expected. 

"  Does  yer  know,"  he  said,  eying  the  little 
Norseman,  quizzically,  "  that  ye  air  a  mighty 
queer  coon  ?  " 

"  No.  I  did  not  know  it,"  answered  Fritz,  in 
nocently. 

"  Ye  want  to  know  who  is  the  king.  Does 
yer  mean  the  Grand  Sovereign  Monarch  of  the 
Mysterious  Sixteen  ?  " 


THE  RUNAWAY'S   THANKSGIVING  III 

"  Yes,  I  think  he  must  be  the  one,"  said  Fritz, 
eagerly. 

"  I'll  let  him  have  a  squint  at  yer ;  an'  if  he 
likes  yer,  he'll  take  yer  in." 

"  Thank  you." 

"  My  name  is  Squintin'  Jim,  'cause  I  is  cross 
eyed." 

"  My  name  is  Fritz  Landmark." 

"  Ye  air  a  mighty  onsafe  kinder  landmark,  I 
should  say,  scootin'  about  as  ye  does  from  one 
country  to  another." 

Fritz  was  unable  to  take  in  this  joke,  and 
looked  blank  while  Squintin'  Jim  laughed  so 
that  his  box  bobbed  up  and  down  on  his  shoul 
der. 

"  What's  that  ye've  got  in  yer  pockets  ?  "  he 
asked,  viewing  with  interest  the  various  pro 
tuberances  on  Fritz's  coat  and  trousers. 

"  Hard-tack." 

"  Gimme  a  sample  ?  " 

Fritz,  feeling  quite  honored  by  Jim's  attention, 
willingly  emptied  his  pockets  and  deposited  the 
contents  on  a  bench  in  the  park.  The  boot 
black  sat  down  in  a  comfortable  attitude,  took  a 
biscuit,  and  devoured  it  with  great  despatch ;  a 
second  went  the  same  way  as  the  first,  and  a 
third  and  fourth  disappeared  mysteriously  into 
Jim's  capacious  coat  pockets. 

"  Now  ye  air  shoutin' !  "  he  exclaimed,  with 


112  NORSELAND   TALES 

an  unaccountable  burst  of  glee,  looking  as  if  he 
expected  Fritz  to  make  some  demonstration  of 
hostility. 

"  No  ;  I  am  not  shouting  !  "  replied  Fritz,  in 
surprise.  "  I  am  as  still  as  a  mouse." 

"  Landmark,"  cried  Jim,  doubled  up  with 
laughter,  "  I  have  ben  a-playin'  it  rough  on  ye, 
old  man.  But  the  boss,  he  kinder  squeezes  me, 
and  I  hain't  had  no  breakfast  sence  day  before 
yesterday." 

"  Who  is  the  boss  ?  " 

"  The  boss,  eh !  Why,  bless  yer  heart,  he  is 
the  Grand  Sovereign  Monarch  of  the  Mysteri 
ous  Sixteen.  We  works  for  him,  and  gets  half 
o'  what  we  makes.  He  ain't  as  rich  as  Jay 
Gould  ;  but  he  is  mighty  well  off,  the  boss  is. 
He  owns  sixteen  cheers,  and  a  lot  of  brushes, 
and  no  end  of  blacking." 

Fritz  could  not  repress  his  ambition  to  make 
the  acquaintance  of  this  magnificent  person 
age. 

"  Take  me  to  him  !  "  he  ejaculated,  eagerly. 

"  Hold  on,  Mister.  He  is  a-runnin'  politics 
now,"  said  Jim  ;  "  or  he  is  at  the  bruisin'  match 
at  Harry  Hill's.  But,  ef  you'll  be  here  at  ten, 
sharp,  to-night,  I  reckon  ye'll  have  a  squint  at 
him." 


THE  RUNAWAY'S   THANKSGIVING 


III 


FRITZ  spent  the  remainder  of  the  day  drearily, 
lounging  about  the  streets,  and  munching  his 
last  ship  biscuit,  which  Jim  had  been  kind 
enough  to  leave  him.  It  seemed  to  be  true, 
what  his  father  had  said — that  this  was  the  land 
of  shops  and  not  of  homes.  Wherever  he 
looked  he  saw  goods  piled  up,  goods  carted 
away,  goods  rumbling  and  rattling  and  creak 
ing,  filling  the  streets,  the  houses,  nay,  the  very 
hearts  and  souls  of  men.  The  only  thing  which 
seemed  valueless  in  this  thronging  mart  of  mer 
chandise  was  his  poor  little  Norwegian  self, 
which  seemed  to  be  made  only  to  be  pushed  and 
buffeted  about  with  pitiless  unconcern.  As  it 
grew  dark,  and  the  turmoil  of  the  streets  was 
quieted,  his  heart  grew  heavy  within  him,  and 
the  tears  rose  to  his  eyes.  He  felt  so  inexpress 
ibly  forlorn  and  abandoned.  He  thought  of  his 
father,  who,  though  he  was  rash  and  excitable, 
yet  loved  him  so  dearly,  and  was  ready  to  make 
every  sacrifice  for  his  welfare.  Who  was  there 
in  this  noisy  foreign  world  who  would  lift  a  fin 
ger  to  help  him  ?  The  warm  and  cosey  fireside 
corner  at  home,  where  he  was  wont  to  sit  in  the 
long  winter  nights,  listening  to  his  father's 

stories   about  his   youth  and   his   travels,  came 
8 


114  NORSELAND   TALES 

back  to  his  memory.  The  raw  November  wind 
swept  up  the  street,  and  made  him  shiver  to  the 
very  bone.  Alas !  he  had  lost  his  home  by  his 
own  fault.  He  had  despised  what  was  the  most 
precious  blessing  God  had  bestowed  upon  him. 
As  these  thoughts  thronged  upon  him  the  con 
trast  between  the  happy  lot  he  had  thrown  away 
and  the  miserable  one  which  he  had  chosen  rose 
vividly  before  him.  In  a  passion  of  despair  he 
flung  himself  down  upon  a  bench  and  wept  as  if 
his  heart  would  break.  He  had  run  away  from 
his  home.  Would  God  ever  forgive  him  so 
great  a  sin?  Would  he  ever  lead  him  back  and 
restore  to  him  the  blessings  which  he  had  now 
at  last  learned  to  value  ?  Should  he  ever  see  his 
father  again,  and  obtain  his  pardon  for  the 
grievous  wrong  he  had  done  him  ?  Oh !  upon 
his  knees  he  would  implore  him  to  take  him 
back ;  nay,  he  would  even  entreat  him  to  scold 
him  and  punish  him  ;  and  he  would  bear  it  ail 
patiently,  so  that  he  might  do  penance  for  his 
wickedness.  Then,  suddenly,  like  a  sharp  sting, 
the  thought  flashed  through  him,  that  perhaps 
his  father's  grief  at  the  loss  of  his  only  child 
might  really  bring  him  to  the  grave,  and  the  oft- 
repeated  and  despised  prophecy  might  be  ful 
filled.  He  sprang  up  with  an  agonized  cry  at 
this  thought,  and  found  himself  face  to  face  with 
Squinting  Jim. 


THE  RUNAWAY'S  THANKSGIVING          115 

"  The  Grand  Sovereign  Monarch  is  waitin' 
fur  ye,"  remarked  Jim. 

Fritz  woke  up  as  from  a  dream  as  the  boot 
black  addressed  him.  He  had  almost  forgot 
ten  both  him  and  his  Monarch.  Nevertheless, 
as  he  had  nothing  better  to  do,  he  concluded 
to  follow.  He  was  almost  faint  with  hunger, 
and  perhaps  the  magnificent  sovereign  might 
have  the  power  to  supply  him  with  something 
to  eat.  They  walked  for  half  an  hour  in  si 
lence. 

"  Where  is  your  house,  Jim  ?  "  asked  Fritz,  as 
the  gaslight  fell  upon  Jim's  sharp,  grimy,  and 
prematurely  old  face. 

"  Don't  be  soft ! "  said  Jim,  and  hurried  on. 
"  Keep  yer  shirt  on." 

"  I  mean,  where  do  you  sleep  ?  " 

"  Oh !  in  winter  I  sleep  at  the  lodging-house 
of  the  Children's  Aid,  and  when  it  is  warm 
out-o'-doors  I  snooze  in  a  barrel  in  a  lumber 
yard." 

"  Then  your  home  is  a  public  lodging-house  ?  " 

"  No.  My  home  is  the  barrel ! "  replied  the 
bootblack,  without  a  gleam  of  humorous  inten 
tion. 

It  must  be  true,  absolutely  true,  thought  Fritz, 
that  there  are  no  homes  in  America.  The 
wealthy  people  probably  slept  in  their  shops ; 
and  here  was  a  boy  whose  home  was  an  empty 


Il6  NORSELAND   TALES 

barrel.  If  it  hadn't  been  so  sad,  it  certainly 
would  have  been  amusing. 

After  a  long  and  wearisome  march,  they 
stopped  at  a  tall  board  fence,  surrounding  a 
lumber-yard  in  close  proximity  to  the  East 
River. 

"  Now,  sling  yer  heels  acrost  that  fence ! " 
said  Jim,  putting  his  toes  nimbly  into  a  crevice 
of  the  boards,  and  vaulting  across  the  top  with 
the  agility  of  a  squirrel. 

"  Sling  my  heels  ?  I  can't !  "  retorted  Fritz, 
in  dismay. 

He  was  beginning  to  feel  afraid,  and  was  half- 
minded  to  "sling  his  heels"  in  the  very  opposite 
direction.  But  suddenly  Jim  put  his  grinning 
face  through  a  sort  of  trap-door,  having  loos 
ened  a  plank  on  the  inside,  and  hospitably  invited 
him  to  enter.  Fritz  was  ashamed  to  acknowl 
edge  that  he  was  afraid,  and,  with  a  quaking 
heart,  crept  through  the  hole  in  the  fence. 

They  made  their  way  cautiously  through  the 
gloom,  dodging  the  boards  which  here  and  there 
projected  from  the  lumber  piles.  -  By  a  dozen 
crooked  by-ways  they  at  last  reached  a  rude 
shed,  apparently  used  for  the  storing  of  lumber 
men's  tools.  In  a  very  small  stove  burned  a  few 
sticks  of  wood,  and  a  diminutive  iron  pipe  con 
ducted  the  smoke  out  through  a  hole  in  the 
wall.  A  mysterious  knock,  thrice  repeated,  and 


THE  RUNAWAY'S  THANKSGIVING 

the  password,  "  Stand  by  your  colors,"  gained 
them  admission  to  the  shanty ;  and  a  great,  burly 
fellow,  with  a  red,  pimpled  face,  received  them 
with  a  gruff  greeting.  He  was  sitting  on  an  in 
verted  keg  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  while  in 
the  shadow  along  the  walls,  a  dozen  ragged  and 
grimy-faced  boys  were  lounging,  all  evidently 
belonging  to  the  boot-blacking  fraternity. 

"  Pull  down  yer  vest !  "  whispered  Jim,  excit 
edly,  as  they  passed  in  front  of  the  burly  man  on 
the  keg.  "  This  yere  is  the  boss." 

"  The  Grand  Sovereign,"  gasped  Fritz,  pull 
ing  desperately  at  his  waistcoat,  as  directed. 

"  Ye  bet  yer  boots  !  " 

"  No,  I  thank  you,"  retorted  Fritz,  who  was 
quite  unversed  in  American  slang.  "  I  could 
not  spare  them." 

"  Ye  air  a  flat,"  said  Jim,  contemptuously. 

"  The  Grand  Sovereign,"  in  the  meanwhile, 
had  eyed  the  little  Norseman  critically  ;  and,  to 
judge  by  his  expression,  he  was  not  quite  satis 
fied. 

"  Ye  air  a  regular  dude,  ain't  ye  ? "  he  re 
marked,  puffing  away  at  a  rank  weed,  which  he 
held  between  his  teeth. 

"  Oh  !  no,  sir  ;  I  think  not,"  answered  Fritz, 
tremulously.  He  did  not  know  what  a  dude 
was  ;  but  he  had  a  suspicion  that  it  was  some 
thing  very  bad. 


Il8  NOKSELAND   TALES 

"  Does  ye  want  ter  swear  ter  be  faithful  ter 
death,  and  ter  hand  in  the  tin  reg'larly  ? "  in 
quired  the  Sovereign,  with  an  ominous  scowl. 

"  I  should  like  to  know  what  I  have  to  swear 
to  !  "  essayed  Fritz,  taking  courage. 

"  Ter  be  faithful  ter  death,"  repeated  the  Sov 
ereign. 

"  To  whom  ?  " 

"  Ter  me." 

"  But  what  am  I  to  gain  by  that  ?  " 

"  Ye'll  be  taken  inter  our  mysterious  frater 
nity." 

Somehow  to  Fritz  this  inducement  did  not 
seem  so  alluring,  after  the  chance  he  had  had  to 
inspect  the  members.  His  only  desire  now  was 
to  extricate  himself  with  tact  and  regain  his  lib 
erty. 

"  If  you  please,  sir,"  he  said,  courageously  ad 
dressing  the  pimpled  individual,  "  I  should  be 
much  obliged  if  you  would  allow  me  to  find  my 
way  back  to  the  street.  I  do  not  think  I  should 
like  to  join  your  fraternity." 

"  Ye  wouldn't  like  it,  eh  ?  "  sneered  the  Sover 
eign,  and  rising,  seized  the  boy's  arm  with  a  grip 
as  of  iron.  "  Ye  air  too  high-toned,  eh  ?  " 

"  Oh,  not  at  all,  sir  ;  but  I  shouldn't  like  it !  " 
retorted  Fritz,  with  spirit,  though  his  heart  was 
hammering  in  his  throat. 

"  Now,  lemme  tell  ye,  ef  ye  scream,  ye  air  a 


THE  RUNAWAY'S  THANKSGIVING          1 19 

gone  coon,"  remarked  the  other,  coolly,  but 
with  a  look  that  was  so  vicious  that  it  even 
made  Jim  quake. 

"  Pull  off  yer  coat !  "  he  demanded,  gruffly. 

Fritz  stood  immovable. 

"  Pull  off  yer  coat,  I  say  !  "  growled  his  tor 
mentor,  more  threateningly,  "  or  I'll  make  ye 
squirm  ! " 

Fritz  still  refused  to  stir.  The  tears  trembled 
under  his  eyelids,  though  he  strove  hard  to  keep 
them  back.  He  believed  that  his  last  hour  had 
come.  With  a  whispered  prayer,  he  thought  of 
his  father,  whom  he  had  renounced,  and  of  the 
home  which  he  had  left. 

At  the  beck  of  "  the  Sovereign  "  two  rough- 
looking  boys  now  stepped  forward,  and  tore  the 
coat  from  Fritz's  back.  He  fought  like  a  bear  at 
bay,  dealing  violent  blows  right  and  left.  More 
boys  rushed  forward  to  mingle  in  the  fray,  and 
at  last  all  except  the  chief  of  the  gang  seemed  to 
be  engaged  in  pummelling  the  poor  little  Norse 
man,  who  yet  fought  undismayed  and  with  the 
strength  of  despair.  At  last,  however,  he  was 
vanquished.  Panting  and  bleeding  he  lay  on  the 
floor,  covered  with  cuts  and  bruises,  while  the 
youthful  rascals  pulled  off  his  boots  and  trousers 
and  ransacked  his  pockets.  His  senses  were 
reeling,  and  all  the  repulsive  faces  of  his  assail 
ants  whirled  about  him  in  a  wild  dance,  now  re- 


I2O  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

treating,  now  again  returning  with  hideous  yells 
and  howls.  At  last  he  saw  and  heard  nothing. 
His  body  seemed  light  as  air  and  he  seemed  to 
be  floating  blissfully  through  sunny  skies,  over 
the  tops  of  green  forests.  From  far  below,  in 
the  golden  distance,  came  glimpses  of  his  dear, 
beloved  home.  And  there  upon  the  pier  stood 
his  father,  with  open  arms  and  with  a  happy 
smile  upon  his  face,  eager  to  receive  and  to  for 
give  him. 


IV 


THERE  had  been  a  slight  fall  of  snow  during 
the  night,  and  Mr.  Terry  was  in  excellent  humor. 
It  was  a  peculiarity  of  his  that  the  first  snow  of 
the  year  always  put  him  in  good  humor.  More 
over,  it  was  Thanksgiving  Day,  and  it  is  peculi 
arly  appropriate  that  people  should  be  in  good 
spirits  on  the  day  when  they  are  to  remember 
all  the  blessings  which  God  has  showered  upon 
them.  One  could  scarcely  imagine  a  man  giving 
thanks  in  a  surly  and  discontented  mood.  At 
least,  Mr.  Terry  could  not;  and  Mr.  Terry,  who 
was  an  artist,  was  something  of  an  expert  on  the 
subject  of  moods.  I  regret  to  state  that  he  some 
times  was  in  a  very  bad  humor,  especially  on  the 
first  of  the  month,  when  he  was  subject  to  calls 
from  his  butcher  and  his  grocer ;  and,  as  misfor- 


THE  RUNAWAY'S   THANKSGIVING          121 

tunes  never  come  singly,  sometimes,  also,  from 
his  tailor.  On  such  occasions,  Mr.  Terry  would 
sometimes  pace  up  and  down  the  floor,  and  call 
upon  all  the  gods  of  Pagan  mythology  to  pro 
tect  him.  Nevertheless,  taking  the  year  alto 
gether,  the  good  days  and  the  bad,  Mr.  Terry 
was  of  opinion  that  he  had  much  to  be  thankful 
for.  His  dear  wife  (than  whom  there  never  was 
one  dearer  and  lovelier)  had  been  spared  to 
him,  and  his  three  beautiful  children  spread  sun 
shine  in  his  life,  even  on  the  first  of  the  month, 
when  he  was  looking  for  squally  weather.  He 
had  made  both  ends  meet,  though  it  had  at  times 
seemed  a  delicate  process,  and  he  had  done  work 
which  had  added  quite  a  good  deal  to  his  repu 
tation.  No  wonder,  then,  that  Mr.  Algernon 
Terry  felt  an  urgent  need  to  do  good  to  some 
body  on  Thanksgiving  Day.  It  seemed  selfish 
to  him  to  keep  all  his  happiness  to  himself  when 
there  were  so  many  in  the  world  who  had  noth 
ing  but  misery.  Mr.  Terry,  therefore,  concluded 
to  share  his  happiness  with  somebody — he  did 
not  know  whom — but  with  somebody  who  was 
unhappy  through  no  fault  of  his  own  ;  or,  per 
haps  is  was  not  even  fair  to  make  this  restric 
tion  ;  he  would  share  the  blessings  which  he  en 
joyed  with  anyone  who  seemed  to  be  in  need  or 
in  sorrow  or  distress,  and  leave  God  to  judge  of 
worthiness  or  unworthiness.  He  had  invited 


122  NORSELAND   TALES 

his  old  mother  and  all  his  sisters  and  brothers  to 
eat  the  Thanksgiving  turkey  with  him,  as  they 
had  always  done  since  he  had  married.  But,  as 
they  were  not  in  any  particular  distress,  and, 
moreover,  he  enjoyed  their  company  as  much  as 
they  did  his,  he  could  scarcely  put  his  conscience 
at  rest  by  such  a  subterfuge. 

It  was  a  habit  with  Mr.  Terry,  whenever  he 
had  a  holiday,  to  devote  it  to  his  children.  Usu 
ally  he  went  on  some  expedition  with  them,  by 
land  or  by  water,  exploring  steamboats,  factories, 
saw-mills,  mechanics'  shops,  etc.,  in  order  to 
show  them,  by  ocular  demonstration,  how  the 
business  of  life  is  carried  on,  and  to  teach  them 
habits  of  observation.  To-day  a  story  of  pi 
rates  had  stimulated  their  interest  in  ships,  and 
their  father,  accordingly,  took  them  down  to  the 
East  River,  where  a  number  of  large  ships  were 
lying.  They  had  spent  an  hour  in  boarding  the 
vessels  and  making  delightful  raids  of  discovery, 
and  were  just  on  their  homeward  way,  when 
they  saw  a  policeman  emerging  from  a  lumber 
yard,  carrying  a  half-naked  boy  in  his  arms. 
Mr.  Terry  was  in  the  midst  of  a  discussion  of 
ships  and  their  functions,  when  an  exclamation 
of  pity  from  the  children  interrupted  his  narra 
tive.  He  walked  up  to  the  policeman  and  put 
his  hand  on  the  forehead  of  the  unconscious  boy. 

"  Is  he  dead,  do  you  think  ?  "  he  asked. 


THE  RUNAWAY'S   THANKSGIVING  123 

"  I  don't  know,  begorra !  "  answered  the  police 
man.  "  But  I  falehis  little  heart  a-flutterin'  now 
an'  thin  ag'in  me  vest." 

"  Then  he  can't  be  dead,"  said  Mr.  Terry. 
"  Will  you  give  him  to  me,  if  I  promise  to  care 
for  him  until  he  is  well,  and  then  to  restore  him 
to  his  people  ?  " 

"  Sure,  /  don't  want  him  !  "  the  Hibernian  gen 
tleman  made  answer.  "  If  ye  be  a  respictable 
party,  I  reckon  the  jedge  won't  make  no  objec 
tion." 

To  the  police  station,  where  a  justice  was  hold 
ing  court,  Mr.  Terry  and  his  children  accom 
panied  the  policeman ;  and  after  a  few  formali 
ties  the  custody  of  the  half-frozen  boy  was 
surrendered  to  him.  The  artist,  wrapping  his 
foundling  in  his  overcoat,  carried  the  rigid  form 
out  of  the  court-room,  and,  hailing  a  cab,  drove 
rapidly  home.  A  physician  was  immediately 
sent  for,  who,  after  a  brief  examination,  declared 
that  the  little  stranger  was  alive  and  would  prob 
ably  soon  return  to  consciousness. 

"  Now,  children,"  said  the  father  to  the  little 
curly-headed  boys  who  stood  about  the  lounge, 
seriously  watching  the  doctor  and  his  patient, 
"  you  must  all  promise  me  to  be  good  to  the 
strange  little  boy,  so  that  he  may  spend  a  happy 
Thanksgiving  Day  with  us.  Because  God  has 
made  us  happy,  we  must  try  to  share  our  happi- 


124  NORS ELAND  TALES 

ness  with  those  who  are  miserable.  It  was  there 
fore  I  took  pity  on  this  homeless  little  waif,  and 
I  want  you  all  to  promise  me  that,  as  long  as 
you  live,  you  will  remember  this  incident,  and 
never  let  a  Thanksgiving  Day  pass  without  do 
ing  at  least  one  good  and  charitable  deed." 

The  children,  taking  the  limp  hand  of  Fritz 
(for  of  course  it  was  he  whom  the  policeman  had 
found  in  the  lumber-yard),  promised  solemnly 
that  they  would  devote  this  day,  throughout 
their  lives,  to  giving  happiness,  by  word  or  deed, 
to  those  who  were  in  need  of  help  and  comfort. 
But,  behold,  as  their  warm  hands  touched  that 
of  the  strange  boy,  a  thrill  of  life  seemed  to 
shoot  through  his  limbs.  He  opened  his  eyes 
slowly,  and  gazed  about  him  in  bewilderment. 

"  Where  am  I  ?  "  he  whispered,  in  an  unknown 
tongue. 

"  My  dear  child,"  said  Mrs.  Terry,  holding  his 
hands  within  hers  and  stroking  the  hair  from  his 
bruised  forehead,  "  do  not  try  to  think  now. 
Only  drink  this.  It  will  strengthen  you.  And 
then  go  to  sleep ;  and  when  you  are  rested  and 
strong,  we  will  come  back  and  eat  Thanksgiving 
dinner  with  you." 

He  yielded  passively  to  her  caressing  touch, 
drank  the  warm  drink  which  she  gave  him,  and 
half  closed  his  eyes,  in  blissful  bewilderment. 

"  I  must  be  dead,"  he  thought.     "  And  this  is 


THE  RUNAWAY'S   THANKSGIVING          125 

my  dear  mother,  whom  I  lost  when  I  was  a 
baby." 

There  was  a  silence  in  the  room  and  Fritz 
soon  fell  into  a  deep,  refreshing  sleep.  In  two 
hours  he  awoke,  and  felt  a  delicious  sense  of 
well-being  steal  through  his  wounded  and  stiff 
ened  limbs.  He  had  no  sooner  opened  his  eyes 
than  all  the  family  returned,  now  reinforced  by 
a  venerable  old  lady  and  three  very  pretty  young 
ones,  and  they  all  took  their  seats  about  the 
lounge  in  the  studio,  and  talked  together  merrily, 
while  regarding  him  with  kind  and  sympathetic 
glances.  Fritz  lay  for  a  while  listening,  and  he 
watched  with  glowing  wonder  the  beautiful  pic 
tures,  the  bright,  gently  blending  colors  of  the 
rugs  and  draperies  of  the  room,  and  the  animated 
group  of  happy  people. 

"  Where  am  I  ? "  he  asked  at  last  in  English, 
which  he  soon  perceived  to  be  the  language  of 
his  entertainers.  "  Please  tell  me  where  I  am." 

"  You  are  in  an  American  home,"  said  Mrs. 
Terry,  smiling  affectionately  at  him. 

"  An  American  home  ! "  he  repeated,  wonder- 
ingly.  "  But  there  are  no  American  homes." 

The  children  laughed  loudly  at  this ;  and  the 
mother,  taking  two  of  them  on  her  lap,  and  kiss 
ing  them,  could  scarcely  help  laughing  too. 

"  Who  told  you  that  there  are  no  homes  in 
America  ?  "  she  asked,  sweetly. 


126  NORSELAND   TALES 

"  The  sailor,  I  think,"  said  Fritz.  "  I  have 
read  it,  too,  in  Norwegian  books." 

"  Norwegian  !     Then  you  are  from  Norway  !  " 

"  Yes.  I  ran  away  from  my  home  because  my 
father  punished  me.  And  I  thought  there  were 
no  homes  here." 

A  delicious  smell  of  roast  turkey  here  stole 
in  through  the  opened  door.  The  children 
jumped  up,  clapping  their  hands,  and  poor  little 
Fritz  would  have  done  the  same  if  his  weakness 
had  not  prevented  him.  A  delightful  vision  of 
winged  roast  pigs,  flying  about  with  knives  and 
forks  sticking  in  their  backs,  rose  before  his 
fancy,  and  doubly  whetted  his  appetite.  Roast 
sucking-pig  was  the  best  thing  he  had  ever 
tasted,  and  all  good  smells  naturally  recalled  to 
him  the  blissful  dinners,  in  which  little  pigs, 
with  apples  in  their  mouths,  had  played  the 
principal  part.  His  hunger,  stimulated  by  these 
savory  recollections,  became  terribly  acute,  and 
he  gazed  longingly  through  the  opened  door  at 
the  heavily  laden  table  in  the  adjoining  room. 
He  had  not  had  a  well-cooked  dinner  since  the 
day  he  left  home ;  for  the  eternal  salt  pork  and 
beans  on  ship-board  had  at  last  become  so  re 
pulsive  to  him  that  he  rather  went  hungry  or 
ate  musty  biscuits  with  little  worms  in  them. 
The  tears  rose  to  his  eyes  at  the  sight  of  the 
pretty  dishes,  the  polished  knives  and  forks,  and 


THE  RUNAWAY'S  THANKSGIVING 

the  clean  table-cloth.  It  seemed  an  age  since  he 
had  seen  these  little  refinements  of  life,  which, 
to  one  who  has  had  the  good  fortune  to  be 
brought  up  in  a  happy  and  orderly  home,  are  as 
indispensable  as  the  food  itself.  It  had  never 
occurred  to  him,  when  he  sat  down  daily  to  a 
good  and  well-served  dinner,  that  he  had  any 
thing  in  particular  to  be  thankful  for.  But  his 
six  weeks  on  ship-board  and  his  adventures  in 
the  streets  of  New  York  had  taught  him  a  les 
son  which  he  would  not  be  likely  to  forget. 

Mr.  Terry  offered  his  arm  to  his  old  mother, 
and  headed  the  little  procession  which  now  en 
tered  the  dining-room.  The  door  was  left  open, 
and  Fritz  saw  them  take  their  places,  bend  their 
heads  while  the  father  asked  the  blessing,  and 
eagerly  watch  his  not  very  skilful  dissection  of 
the  turkey.  Advice  was  offered  from  all  quar 
ters,  and  a  great  deal  of  joking  and  laughing 
followed,  until  Dr.  Terry,  Mr.  Terry's  younger 
brother,  was  called  in  for  consultation,  and  suc 
cessfully  dismembered  the  superb  fowl.  Then 
one  of  the  children  exclaimed  that  Fritz  must 
be  very  lonely  in  the  studio,  and  by  common 
consent  the  lounge  upon  which  he  was  lying 
was  lifted  into  the  dining-room,  and  he  was 
served  first  of  all  with  a  second  joint  and  a  heap 
of  cranberry  sauce,  which  would  have  suited  the 
appetite  of  a  Goliath. 


128  NORSELAND   TALES 

"  With  your  permission,"  interposed  the  doc- 
tor,  addressing  his  sister-in-law ;  "  unless  you 
want  to  kill  your  young  Norseman,  you  must 
lemember  that  it  would  not  be  well  for  him,  in 
his  present  condition,  to  gratify,  to  its  full  ex 
tent,  his  Norse  appetite." 

Mrs.  Terry  then  reluctantly  cut  off  one-half  of 
the  joint  and  put  the  plate  in  Fritz's  lap.  He 
did  not  need  an  urgent  invitation  to  fall  to.  He 
ate ;  I  am  really  afraid  to  tell  you  how  he  ate  ; 
but  it  seemed  as  if  he  never  had  eaten  before  in 
all  his  life.  If  he  had  not  been  afraid  of  the  doc 
tor,  he  would  have  asked  for  more  ;  and  when 
the  time  came  for  the  mince-pie  (a  dish  which 
he  had  never  tasted  before),  he  was  inclined 
to  hide  his  piece  under  the  coverlid,  lest  the 
medical  tyrant  should  again  interfere.  He 
vowed  in  his  heart  that,  if  he  ever  returned  to 
his  native  land,  he  would  make  himself  famous 
as  a  public  benefactor  by  teaching  the  Norse 
men  to  eat  mince-pie.  Mrs.  Terry  would,  no 
doubt,  be  kind  enough  to  teach  him  the  secret 
of  its  composition.  In  fact,  they  were  all  so 
kind  to  him,  they  perfectly  overwhelmed  him 
with  kindness.  He  felt  himself  quite  a  hero  as 
he  told  them  his  strange  adventures  with  the 
bootblack  and  in  the  den  of  "  the  Mysterious 
Sixteen."  It  was  a  marvel,  indeed,  that  he 
could  have  recovered  so  rapidly  from  such  mal- 


THE  RUNAWAY'S   THANKSGIVING  129 

treatment  and  exposure  ;  and  it  was  only  the 
centuries  of  hardening  to  which  his  race  had 
been  subjected,  in  its  distant  home  under  the 
North  Pole,  which  preserved  his  life  and  re 
stored  him  so  quickly  to  health  and  vigor.  The 
doctor  was  quite  enthusiastic  when  he  felt  his 
pulse  after  the  dinner  he  had  eaten,  and  jocosely 
congratulated  his  profession  that  there  were  few 
such  constitutions  to  be  found  on  this  side  of  the 
Atlantic. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  the  happy 
evening  which  Fritz  spent  with  his  new  friends 
in  the  studio.  The  next  morning,  when  he  was 
well  rested,  Mr.  Terry  made  him  tell  once  more 
his  story  with  minute  details,  and  he  sat  listen 
ing  intently  while  Fritz  poured  out  his  heart  to 
him,  shedding  tears  of  remorse  at  the  thought 
of  his  father,  and  tears  of  joy  at  the  prospect 
of  seeing  him  again  and  imploring  his  forgive 
ness. 

"  I  will  telegraph  to  your  father  to-day,"  said 
Mr.  Terry.  "  In  the  meanwhile  you  will  stay 
with  us." 

Two  weeks  later  there  was  a  knock  at  the 
door  of  the  studio,  and  a  large  man,  with  a  full, 
gray-sprinkled  beard,  entered. 

"  Is  this  Mr.  Terry  ? "  he  inquired,  with  a 
marked  foreign  accent. 

"  Fritz  !  "  cried  Mr.  Terry,  joyously. 
9 


130  NORSELAKD   TALES 

The  door  from  the  next  room  now  burst  open, 
and  the  son  lay  sobbing-  in  his  father's  arms. 

As  Mr.  Terry  stood  looking  at  the  group,  he 
thought  it  was  the  most  beautiful  sight  he  had 
ever  beheld.  He  made  a  mental  note  of  it;  and 
determined  to  make  a  picture  of  it  for  the  next 
Academy  exhibition.  If  he  had  done  a  good 
deed,  by  way  of  thanksgiving,  it  had  indeed 
brought  its  own  reward. 


A  BORN  CHIEFTAIN 
I 

THERE  was  a  great  commotion  in  the  church 
yard.  The  service  was  over,  and  the  parson 
had  returned  to  the  parsonage.  But  the  people 
still  lingered,  the  women  to  gossip,  the  men  to 
trade  watches  and  jackknives,  or,  perhaps,  even 
horses.  Some  who  came  from  long  distances 
sat  on  the  graves  and  ate  their  luncheons  out  of 
boxes  painted  with  blue  and  red  flowers.  The 
young  girls,  in  clusters  of  five  or  six  or  a  dozen, 
stood  pressing  themselves  up  against  the  church 
wall,  and  giggled  when  anyone  spoke  to  them, 
and  when  somebody  passed  by  without  speak 
ing  they  giggled  too.  Whatever  anybody  did  or 
did  not  do  seemed  to  them  excruciatingly  funny. 
If  two  dogs  met  and  smelled  each  other's  noses, 
they  writhed  with  suppressed  laughter.  But 
suddenly  something  attracted  their  attention 
which  occasioned  no  merriment.  They  ceased 
to  nudge  each  other  and  giggle,  but  stood  cran 
ing  their  necks  and  straining  their  eyes.  A  man 
had  climbed  up  on  the  stone  fence  and  was  mak- 


132  NORSELAND    TALES 

ing  a  speech.     All  the  people  flocked  together 
about  him  and  listened.     He  was  a  tall,  pale- 
complexioned  fellow,  with  a  shrewd,  vulgar  face. 
He  was  dressed  in  broadcloth,  and  wore  a  lot  of 
cheap   imitation  jewelry.     "  Friends,"  he   said, 
"  I  reckon  you  don't  know  me,  though  I  know 
you.     It  isn't  so  very  many  years  since  I  ran 
barefooted  among  you  and  as  ragged  as  a  scare 
crow.     Look  at  me  now,  lads ;  I  don't  want  to 
brag,  but  I  ask  you  to  look  at  me.     I  don't  look 
much  like  what  I  used  to,  do  I  ?     You  remem 
ber  little  James  Forest — or  Jens  Skoug,  I  mean 
— as  frowsy  and  dirty  a  little  ragamuffin  as  ever 
you    clapped   eyes   on.      You    remember   him  ? 
Yes,  I  see  you  do.     Well,  lads,  you  can  all  dress 
in  fine  store  clothes  and  carry  a  gold  watch  and 
chain  "  (here  the  emigration  agent  dangled  his 
elegant  gilt  brass  chain),  "  and  be  as  well  off  as 
I  am  if  you  only  want  to.     You  have  heard  of 
California,  I  reckon.     Well,  you  would  scarcely 
believe  me,  but  I  have  picked  up  gold  nuggets 
there  as  big  as  my  fist,  and  worth  thousands  of 
dollars.     In  one  hour  you  may  gain  more  money 
there  than  here  you  would  by  toiling  and  slav 
ing   for  a  lifetime.     I   reckon  you  will   take  it 
that  I  am  lying  when  I  tell  you  there  is  no  win 
ter  there,  so  that  you  can  raise  two  and  some 
times  three  crops  off  the  same  piece  of  ground 
in  one  year." 


A   BORN  CHIEFTAIN  133 

James  Forest  continued  in  this  strain  for  a 
full  hour,  and  the  peasants  stood  gaping  with 
wonder  at  the  marvellous  tales  he  told.  They 
would  have  doubted  his  stories,  perhaps,  if  he 
had  not  himself  in  a  way  been  a  confirmation  of 
their  truth.  For  they  well  remembered  him  as  a 
forlorn  little  half-frozen  urchin,  whose  rags  never 
sufficed  to  cover  his  nakedness.  And  now  Solo 
mon  in  all  his  glory  could,  according  to  their 
notions,  scarcely  hold  a  candle  to  him.  It  was 
obvious  he  had  been  picking  up  gold  some 
where,  and  as  they  had  heard  that  gold  was 
plentiful  in  California,  they  thought  it  very 
likely  that  he  had  found  a  chance  to  fill  his 
pockets  there  ;  and  they  naturally  yearned  for 
the  opportunity  to  follow  his  example. 

Among  those  who  listened  with  the  deepest 
interest  to  James  Forest's  speech  were  a  house 
man,  or  tenant,  named  Thor  Framness,  and  his 
two  sons,  Finn  and  Magnus.  Thor  had  long 
thought  of  emigrating  to  the  United  States,  but 
had  lacked  the  means,  and  now  the  luminous 
idea  flashed  through  his  brain  that  perhaps  this 
rich  emigration  agent  who  carried  gold  nuggets 
in  his  pocket  might  lend  him  enough  to  pay  the 
passage  of  himself  and  his  children.  He  did  not 
like  to  talk  openly  to  Forest  about  such  a  sub 
ject,  but  determined  to  wait  until  the  rest  of  the 
people  had  gone,  and  then  cautiously  beat  about 


134  NOKSELAND   TALES 

the  bush  until  he  should  find  out  what  chances 
there  were  of  procuring  such  a  loan.  But,  un 
happily,  there  were  at  least  twenty  others  who 
had  the  same  idea,  and  thus  half  the  afternoon 
passed,  and  it  was  nearly  evening  when  Thor 
found  his  opportunity.  It  is  needless  to  report 
the  conversation,  which  lasted  more  than  two 
hours ;  the  end  of  it  was  that  James  agreed  to 
pay  the  passage  of  Thor  and  his  sons  to  New 
York,  and  thence  to  California,  if  Thor  would 
sign  a  contract  pledging  himself  and  his  chil 
dren  to  work  for  one  year  for  the  sum  advanced. 
The  tenant  thought  these  were  rather  hard 
terms ;  but  when  Forest  agreed  to  provide 
them  with  board  during  this  period,  he  was  fin 
ally  induced  to  sign. 

Three  weeks  later  he  found  himself  with  about 
four  hundred  countrymen  in  the  steerage  of  a 
transatlantic  steamer,  and  about  the  middle  of 
May  the  whole  company  landed  at  Castle  Gar 
den. 


II 


THE  emigrant  train  which  carried  Thor  and 
his  sons  across  the  continent,  had  a  very  un 
pleasant  habit  of  switching  off  on  a  side  track 
every  hour  or  so,  and  standing  still  while  other 
trains  passed.  It  was  so  crowded  with  men, 


A   BORN  CHIEFTAIN  135 

women,  and  children  that  there  was  scarcely 
elbow-room,  far  less  sleeping- room,  for  anybody; 
and  the  attitudes  the  poor  tortured  creatures 
assumed  in  their  efforts  to  obtain  sleep  were 
both  ludicrous  and  distressing.  Some  had  seat 
ed  themselves  on  the  floor  with  their  backs 
against  the  wall,  others  rested  their  legs  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  sleeper  in  the  seat  in  front  of 
them.  Men  and  women  who  had  never  seen 
each  other  before  bumped  their  heads  together 
as  they  nodded,  overcome  with  weariness,  and 
glided  into  each  other's  laps  with  unconscious 
familiarity.  The  smoke  and  soot  and  dust  that 
poured  in  through  windows  and  doors  nearly 
choked  them ;  and  there  were  a  variety  of  un 
pleasant  smells  besides,  which  no  one  can  dream 
of  who  has  not  spent  a  night  in  an  emigrant 
train. 

After  two  weeks  of  such  misery  the  four  hun 
dred  Norsemen  arrived,  under  the  guidance  of 
James  Forest,  at  a  village  called  Metropolis- 
ville,  consisting  of  about  thirty  shanties,  of 
which  twelve  were  saloons  and  the  remainder 
real  estate  offices.  Magnificent  avenues  were 
laid  out  in  all  directions,  and  conspicuous  signs 
were  put  up  on  posts  bearing  the  names  Wash 
ington  Avenue,  Jefferson  Avenue,  Garfield 
Square,  etc.,  but  there  were  no  houses  except 
in  the  imagination  of  the  real  estate  speculators 


136  NORSELAND   TALES 

who  sold  corner  lots  and  boomed  the  town. 
One  signpost  on  the  imaginary  square  bore  the 
inscription  "  The  Hancock  Opera-House,"  and  a 
railing  of  unplaned  laths  hedged  in  an  imagina 
ry  soldiers'  monument.  Thor  Framness  and  his 
sons  were  too  simple-hearted  to  be  amused  at 
this  exhibition  of  Yankee  enterprise.  They 
were  so  bewildered  at  everything  they  saw  that 
they  scarcely  knew  whither  to  turn  or  what  to 
marvel  at  the  most.  What  interested  them  par 
ticularly  in  this  queer  place  was  that  it  was'  the 
terminus  of  the  railroad,  and  that,  accordingly, 
if  they  were  not  to  remain  there,  they  would 
have  to  continue  their  journey  with  ox  trains. 
The  weather  was  insufferably  hot,  and  the  grass 
on  the  dusty  foot-hills  skirting  the  plain  was 
burnt  yellow.  To  their  horror,  they  discovered 
that  they  were  expected  to  walk,  carrying  their 
luggage,  across  the  sun-scorched  prairie.  They 
were  slowly  coming  to  the  conclusion  that  they 
had  been  duped,  and  that  the  emigration  agent 
had  some  deep-laid  scheme  which  he  was  afraid 
of  divulging. 

It  was  Finn  Framness  who  was  the  first  to 
utter  this  suspicion.  He  was  a  blond,  curly- 
headed  lad  of  sixteen,  square  built  and  not 
very  tall,  but  with  a  face  full  of  determination 
and  spirit.  He  had  called  a  meeting  of  all  the 
boys  in  the  emigrant  party,  about  forty  in  all, 


A   BORN'  CHIEFTAIN- 

on  an  open  lot  which  was  marked  "  The  Edison 
Electric  Light  Co." 

"  Now,  fellows,"  he  said,  standing  upon  a 
soap-box  and  addressing  his  dejected  comrades, 
"  I  guess  we  all  agree  that  we  are  in  a  bad 
scrape.  All  those  who  agree  that  we  are  in  a 
bad  scrape  will  please  raise  their  hands." 

All  raised  their  hands  in  a  slow,  drooping 
fashion,  and  Finn,  delighted  at  their  unanimity, 
continued  :  "  We  can't  walk  in  this  heat  across 
the  prairie ;  we  have  got  to  get  horses  or  oxen 
for  the  baggage.  Now,  what  I  mean  to  do  is  to 
compel  Jens  Skoug*  to  scare  up  some  oxen  and 
wagons.  But  I  need  three  boys  to  help  me. 
My  brother  Magnus  makes  one ;  and  now,  who 
will  be  the  other  two  ?  " 

Half  a  dozen  boys  jumped  up  eagerly  and 
cried,  "  I  ;  "  and  Finn,  being  anxious  to  secure 
the  right  persons,  picked  out,  with  much  delib 
eration,  a  little  sunburned,  black-eyed  fellow, 
named  Knute  Volden,  who  looked  like  a  gypsy, 
and  a  big,  stalwart  lad  of  fifteen,  with  a  bovine 
face,  named  Gudmund  Lian. 

"  Now,  lads,"  Finn  continued,  "  if  we  are  to 
succeed  in  this,  I  must  be  sure  that  you  will  all 
back  me,  whatever  I  do.  Remember,  I  am  your 
chief,  and  I  shall  do  nothing  except  what  I 
believe  is  necessary  to  get  us  out  of  our  scrape. 

*  Jens  Skoug  is  the  Norwegian  for  James  Forest. 


138  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

Now,  will  you  swear  to  stand  by  me  like  good 
men  and  true  ?  All  those  who  swear  to  stand 
by  me,  through  thick  and  thin,  will  please  raise 
their  hands." 

All  the  boys  again  raised  their  hands,  and  this 
time  without  reluctance,  for  they  now  knew 
what  was  expected  of  them.  They  were  greatly 
impressed  with  Finn's  skill  in  conducting  the 
meeting,  and  were  proud  of  his  leadership.  He 
had  once  or  twice  been  present  at  a  session  of 
the  Common  Council  in  his  native  parish,  and 
with  his  natural  quick-wittedness  had  caught  the 
order  of  proceedings. 

The  two  boys,  Knute  Volden  and  Gudmund 
Lian,  whom  he  had  selected  for  his  lieutenants, 
were  as  unlike  as  any  two  boys  about  the  same 
age  could  be.  The  former  was  lithe,  eager,  and 
alert  like  a  weasel,  while  the  latter  was  slow, 
honest,  a  little  bit  stupid,  but  tremendously 
strong.  These  two  and  his  brother  Magnus, 
Finn  called  aside  after  having  dismissed  the 
meeting,  and,  retreating  into  a  clump  of  bushes 
which  covered  the  site  of  the  imaginary  town 
hall,  he  revealed  to  them  his  plan  of  attack. 
They  also  agreed  to  form  a  secret  brotherhood, 
to  be  called  "  The  Rescuers,"  whose  object  it 
was  to  be  to  protect  the  Norse  emigrants  and 
take  care  of  their  interests. 


A  BORN  CHIEFTAIN'  139 


III 

THE  people  of  Metropolisville  went  to  bed 
late,  and  Finn  and  his  fellow-conspirators  had  to 
wait  until  four  o'clock  in  the  morning  before 
they  could  carry  out  their  plan.  Then  they 
started  on  tiptoe  for  the  emigrant  agent's  tent ; 
and  their  long  black  shadows,  with  legs  like 
those  of  giraffes  and  gigantic  heads,  hastened  on 
after  them,  like  a  bad  conscience,  and  made  them 
afraid  to  look  behind.  The  moon  was  shining 
by  fits  and  starts,  being  now  covered  by  clouds 
and  now  again,  with  startling  suddenness,  sailing 
out  into  the  clear  blue.  If  it  had  not  been  for 
the  fact  that  each  was  afraid  of  the  other's  ridi 
cule,  those  four  "  Rescuers  "  would  surely  have 
backed  out  of  their  venturesome  undertaking, 
for  the  unpleasant  thought  was  humming  in  the 
brain  of  everyone  of  them  that  Forest  carried 
a  revolver,  and  would,  if  he  awoke,  shoot,  while 
they  were  only  armed  with  ropes.  However, 
they  were  in  for  it  now,  and  would  have  to  make 
the  best  of  a  bad  bargain.  Finn  put  his  finger 
on  his  lip  as  he  cautiously  untied  the  flaps  of  the 
tent,  but  his  heart  beat  in  his  throat,  and  he  felt 
anything  but  jolly.  It  was  a  consolation  to  him 
to  hear  Forest's  heavy  snoring,  which  sounded 
like  the  rumble  of  a  log  being  hauled  up  a  slope, 


I4O  NORSELAND   TALES 

and  then  suddenly  rolling  down  again.  He  put 
his  head  through  the  opening  he  had  made  and 
beckoned  to  his  comrades  to  follow.  With  his 
cords  looped,  he  stealthily  approached  the  sleep. 
er,  who  lay  on  the  ground,  half  undressed,  cov 
ered  by  an  army  blanket.  He  was  lying  on  his 
back  with  his  arms  and  legs  extended  toward 
the  four  points  of  the  compass.  Finn  signalled 
to  his  friends,  and  each  selected  an  arm  or  a  leg 
toward  which  he  crawled,  Indian  fashion,  push 
ing  himself  noiselessly  forward  on  his  belly.  At 
the  same  instant,  at  a  sign  from  the  chief,  each 
flung  the  looped  cord  about  the  limb  which 
pointed  toward  him,  and  in  the  twinkling  of  an 
eye  had  secured  it  tightly.  But  even  then  For 
est  did  not  immediately  awake.  He  struggled 
and  rolled  in  his  sleep  as  if  he  had  a  nightmare, 
tried  to  rub  his  eyes  and  to  pull  up  one  leg,  but 
failed  to  accomplish  either  purpose  ;  then  slow 
ly  the  mists  of  slumber  cleared  away  from  his 
boozy  brain,  and  he  opened  first  one  wonder 
ing  eye  and  then  another.  In  the  moonlight  he 
saw  four  crouching  figures,  which  seemed  to  be 
tugging  away  at  his  arms  and  legs  as  if  they 
meant  to  pull  them  off.  With  a  tremendous 
oath  he  started  to  rise,  but  found  himself  the 
next  moment  stretched  flat  on  his  back,  with  a 
sensation  in  his  limbs  as  if  he  were  being  pulled 
to  pieces.  His  first  thought  was  that  he  must 


A   BORN  CHIEFTAIN  141 

be  dreaming ;  but  the  second,  which  made  his 
hair  rise  on  his  head,  suggested  that  the  emi 
grants  whom  he  had  maltreated  had  come  to 
lynch  him.  In  that  case,  he  thought,  they  were 
cleverer  than  he  had  given  them  credit  for. 
They  had  become  Americanized  in  a  surpris 
ingly  short  time. 

"  Look  —  look-a-here,  .  gentlemen,"  he  stam 
mered,  for  his  tongue  was  thick  and  his  teeth 
chattered ;  "  what's  up  now,  I  should  like  to 
know  ?  " 

"  We  want  you  to  promise  to  engage  wagons 
and  oxen  to  take  all  of  us  across  the  plains,"  an 
swered  Finn.  "  And  we'll  keep  you  tied  here 
until  you  have  made  all  your  arrangements  to 
do  this  and  paid  for  them." 

A  great  relief  was  visible  in  Forest's  face 
when  he  heard  the  voice  of  a  boy  answer,  in 
stead  of,  as  he  had  expected,  that  of  a  man.  His 
courage  came  back  to  him  instantly,  and  he 
started  up  again  with  great  vim,  and  fell  again 
with  a  thud  on  the  ground.  For,  the  moment 
he  began  to  struggle,  Finn  commanded  "  Pull," 
and  with  a  tremendous  jerk  the  four  "  Rescuers" 
nearly  dislocated  every  joint  in  his  body.  When 
he  had  with  renewed  fury  tried  this  experiment 
three  times,  his  wrath  began  to  cool,  and  he  be 
gan  to  realize  that  by  force  he  would  accomplish 
nothing. 


142  NORSELAND   TALES 

"  Look-a-here,  boys,"  he  said,  "  this  is  a  very 
nice  joke,  no  doubt,  and  I  appreciate  it.  I  as 
sure  you  it  is  the  funniest  thing  that  ever  hap 
pened  to  me  since  the  day  I  was  born.  But 
don't  carry  the  joke  too  far ;  that  spoils  the  fun 
of  it.  Now  you  untie  them  ropes,  and  then  we'll 
sit  down  and  talk  this  thing  over  quiet  and  gen 
tlemanlike.  See  ?  " 

"  I  am  glad  you  find  it  funny,"  Finn  retorted, 
"  but  the  fun  is  thrown  in  gratis.  It  wasn't  in 
tended.  We  mean  to  keep  you  tied  here  until 
you  have  given  orders  for  oxen  and  wagons  or 
horses,  and  paid  for  them." 

The  agent  lay  still  for  a  while  and  pondered. 

"  All  right,  boys,"  he  said  at  last,  "  I  promise. 
Now  run  home  and  get  some  sleep  before  we 
start ;  you'll  need  it  after  such  an  exciting 
night." 

"  When  do  you  suppose  we  cut  our  eye- 
teeth  ?  "  Finn  replied,  laughing.  "  Day  before 
yesterday,  eh?" 

At  this  witticism  the  other  boys  had  to  laugh, 
and  as  laughing  diminishes  for  the  moment  one's 
strength,  the  prostrate  man  made  a  jerk  with  his 
left  hand,  which  little  Magnus  held,  and  almost 
pulled  him  over.  Then  with  a  swift  movement 
he  fumbled  for  his  revolver  which  was  under  his 
pillow,  and  would  have  caught  it,  if  Gudmund 
Lian  had  not  seized  the  cord  with  his  disengaged 


A   BORN  CHIEFTAIN'  143 

hand,  and  flung  himself  backward.  Forest 
ground  his  teeth  and  growled  like  an  angry  dog, 
and  subsided  again  into  a  sullen  silence. 

"  Well,  boys,  how  long  do  you  propose  to  keep 
this  up?"  he  asked,  at  length. 

"  Until  you  have  done  what  we  have  told  you," 
answered  Finn.  "  You  know  as  well  as  I  that 
women  and  children  accustomed  to  the  cool 
Norwegian  summer  cannot  walk  in  the  swelter 
ing  heat  over  these  brown,  sun-scorched  prairies. 
It  would  be  death  to  most  of  us.  Now,  you 
give  orders,  as  I  have  said,  for  oxen,  or  give  us 
the  money  and  we'll  attend  to  it  ourselves.  It 
is  nearly  five  o'clock  now,  and  these  people  will 
soon  be  up ;  until  then  we'll  take  care  of  you  and 
see  that  you  don't  come  to  harm." 

"  Yes,  I  bet  you  will,  you  young  rascals !  " 
cried  Forest,  in  a  fresh  fit  of  rage.  "  I'll  make 
it  hot  for  you,  you  scoundrels !  You  think  you 
can  do  with  me  as  you  like,  but  I'll  teach  you 
manners.  You  shall  pay  dearly  for  this." 

And  with  all  his  might  he  began  to  yell 
"Help!  murder!  murder!" 

It  would  have  been  easy  for  the  boys  to  stop 
his  outcry  with  the  revolver,  the  handle  of 
which  was  visible  under  the  pillow.  But  they 
were  so  confident  of  the  justice  of  their  cause 
that  they  were  not  afraid  to  submit  it  to  arbitra 
tion.  Scarcely  a  minute  had  passed  before  they 


144  NORSELAND   TALES 

heard  footsteps  outside,  and  two  men  burst  into 
the  tent,  one  with  a  bowie-knife  in  his  hand  and 
the  other  with  a  cocked  revolver.  They  had 
expected  to  find  some  one  dead  or  wounded,  and 
were  not  a  little  surprised  at  the  spectacle  which 
presented  itself.  The  first,  who  was  an  Ameri 
can,  and  had  much  sympathy  with  boyish  sport, 
burst  into  an  unfeeling  laugh  ;  and  the  second, 
who  was  an  Americanized  Swede,  had  a  good 
mind  to  join  him. 

"  What  are  you  up  to,  boys  ? "  he  asked  in 
Swedish.  "  What  has  this  fellow  done  to  you?  " 

Finn  repeated  his  story  with  all  the  eloquence 
which  his  indignation  inspired,  and  the  Swede, 
who  readily  understood  his  Norwegian,  trans 
lated  it  briefly  to  the  American. 

"  That  is  right,  boys,"  the  latter  exclaimed, 
breaking  into  another  laugh.  "  You  are  plucky 
chaps.  You  know  what  you  want.  Don't  let 
that  slippery  Dick  get  away  till  you  have  got 
your  teams  and  wagons  all  hitched  up  and  paid 
for." 

And  he  sauntered  out,  chuckling  at  what  he 
regarded  as  a  capital  joke.  A  dozen  more  peo 
ple  had  in  the  meanwhile  arrived,  and  Forest 
in  lachrymose  tones  complained  to  them  of  the 
ill-treatment  he  had  sustained.  But  his  reputa 
tion  in  Metropolisville  was  none  of  the  best, 
apparently,  and  public  opinion  declared  itself 


.4   BORN  CHIEFTAIN  14$ 

against  him.  Everybody  thought  the  boys  were 
right  in  compelling  him  to  procure  teams,  as  a 
march  on  foot  over  the  prairies  must  result  in 
sunstrokes  and  much  needless  suffering.  Find 
ing  so  little  sympathy,  the  emigration  agent  was 
forced  to  yield.  He  gave  orders  for  the  teams  ; 
directed  a  man  present  to  count  out  the  required 
money  from  a  roll  of  bills  found  in  the  inside 
pocket  of  his  waistcoat,  and  was  then  released 
from  his  bonds.  He  glowered  savagely  at  the 
boys  when  once  more  he  stood  upon  his  legs, 
and  the  culprits  knew  that  they  would  have  to 
be  prepared  for  revenge  on  his  part,  whatever 
form  it  might  take.  But  it  was  nevertheless  a 
great  satisfaction  to  them  when  the  long  pro 
cession  of  ox  teams  with  canvas-covered  wagons 
was  set  in  motion  across  the  plains,  and  the 
women  and  children  sat  or  lay  within,  sheltered 
from  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun,  while  the 
men  took  turns  in  walking  and  riding.  The  four 
"  Rescuers  "  felt  that  they  had  earned  their 
name,  for  they  had  been  rescuers  indeed,  having 
saved  many  from  death  and  misery. 


IV 


IT  was  nearly  a  fortnight  before  the  Norse  em 
igrants  reached  the  end  of  their  journey.  Then 
they  found  themselves  lodged  for  the  night  in  a 


10 


146  NORSELAND   7 'ALES 

large  wooden  shanty,  where  there  were  no  beds, 
and  not  a  single  article  of  furniture.  They  had 
no  idea  of  where  they  were,  but  noticed  that  the 
people  they  had  met  during  the  last  two  days 
looked  very  different  from  those  whom  they 
had  previously  encountered.  They  were  black- 
haired,  and  of  swarthy  complexion  ;  many  wore 
wide-brimmed  sombreros,  embroidered  waist 
coats,  and  shawls  or  blankets  thrown  about  their 
shoulders,  and  they  spoke  a  language  which  was 
not  English.  A  vague  anxiety  and  apprehen 
sion  filled  the  breasts  of  the  Norsemen,  and  it 
became  plain  to  them  that  they  had  been  in  some 
way  imposed  upon.  For  though  they  were  not 
sure  of  it,  they  had  a  feeling  that  they  were  no 
longer  in  the  United  States.  They  no  longer 
believed  Forest,  who  assured  them  that  they 
were  in  California,  and  that  their  gold-digging 
was  now  about  to  commence.  What  particular 
ly  alarmed  them  was  a  company  of  swarthy, 
fierce-looking  soldiers,  armed  with  rifles  and 
carrying  revolvers  in  their  belts.  There  were 
twenty  or  twenty-five  of  them,  and  they  were 
commanded  by  an  officer  with  a  big  black  mus 
tache,  who  wore  a  yellow  silk  sash  about  his 
waist.  It  seemed  scarcely  probable  that  these 
armed  men  were  there  to  assist  them  in  their 
gold-digging ;  they  needed  no  guns  with  bay 
onets  for  that.  But  if,  as  was  more  likely,  they 


A    BORN'  CHIEFTAIN 

had  been  summoned  to  compel  the  emigrants  to 
do  something  which  they  had  not  agreed  to  do, 
then,  indeed,  they  might  have  need  of  their  bay 
onets. 

This  riddle  was  soon  to  be  solved.  The  morn 
ing  after  their  arrival  at  the  big  wooden  shanty, 
all  the  emigrants  were  made  to  stand  in  a  row, 
facing  the  soldiers,  while  James  Forest  ex 
plained  to  them  in  their  mother-tongue  that  the 
gold  was  in  the  great  hill  yonder,  and  that  they 
would  have  to  set  to  work  and  dig  at  once  in  a 
straight  line  within  the  stakes  which  they  saw 
planted  on  the  hillside.  He  said  this  with  a 
malicious  smile,  and  no  great  knowledge  of  hu 
man  nature  was  needed  to  see  that  he  was  mak 
ing  a  brazen  effort  to  impose  upon  the  credulity 
of  his  poor  countrymen.  -The  four  "  Rescuers," 
who  were  standing  together  at  the  end  of  the 
line,  felt  their  blood  boil  when  they  heard  this 
bold  announcement. 

"  He's  lying,  ain't  he?"  asked  Gudmund  Lian. 

"  He  can  lie  as  fast  as  a  horse  can  trot,"  re 
plied  little  Magnus  Framness,  clenching  his 
brown  fist. 

"What  do  you  think  he's  up  to?"  inquired 
Knute  Volden. 

"  I  tell  you  what  he's  up  to,  chaps,"  Finn  an 
swered.  "  There  ain't  no  gold  in  that  hill  yon 
der.  If  there  was,  they  wouldn't  need  no  sol- 


148  NORSELAND  TALES 

diers.  It's  a  railroad  they  are  going  to  build ; 
and  we  have  been  brought  here  to  build  it.  I 
saw  exactly  that  kind  of  stakes  when  they  built 
the  railroad  through  our  valley  at  home." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ?  "  quer 
ied  Knute.  "  We  ain't  no  match  for  them  sol 
dier  chaps  ;  and  they  look  as  if  they  would  shoot 
us  down  as  soon  as  wink." 

"  I  don't  know  yet  what  we  are  to  do,"  Finn 
observed  ;  "  but  just  for  the  present  I  would  ad 
vise  every  man  to  hold  his  tongue  and  do  as  he 
is  told  to.  I  can  see  through  this  game,  if  you 
can't.  Forest  went  to  Norway  to  get  laborers 
for  this  road,  and  he  has  sold  us  outright  to 
these  foreigners." 

"  What  kind  of  foreigners  do  you  take  them 
to  be,  Finn  ?  "  little  Magnus  queried,  anxiously. 

"  That's  more'n  I  can  tell,"  Finn  replied.  "  I 
never  was  good  at  geography.  All  I  know  is 
that  there  is  a  green-colored  country  on  the  map 
south  of  the  United  States,  and  that  is  where  we 
are.  Mustico,  I  think,  was  the  name  of  it." 

"I've  got  it!"  cried  Knute,  holding  up  his 
hand  as  if  he  were  sitting  on  a  school -bench. 
"  Mexico  was  the  name,  Mexico  !  " 

"  That's  a  fact,"  the  chief  retorted,  with  an  ap 
proving  nod ;  "  you  are  right,  we  are  in  Mex 
ico." 

Knute  was  so  elated  at  this  indorsement  that 


A   BORN"  CHIEFTAIN'  149 

only  his  fear  of  the  soldiers  restrained  him  from 
turning  a  somersault. 

"  Keep  quiet,  Gypsy,"  Finn  commanded. 
"  This  evening  we'll  have  a  secret  meeting  of 
the  '  Rescuers.'  Then  we  can  talk  of  what  we 
ought  to  do." 

Spades  and  pickaxes  were  now  distributed 
among  the  Norsemen.  They  were  divided  into 
squads  of  twenty,  each  under  the  guard  of  two 
soldiers.  Even  the  boys  and  the  women  were 
pressed  into  service,  and,  in  order  to  prevent 
the  former  from  playing  or  teasing  each  other, 
they  were  separated  and  made  to  work  in  differ 
ent  squads.  It  was  of  no  use  that  the  outraged 
emigrants  protested  ;  the  stolid  Mexican  soldiers 
had  no  patience  with  argument,  which  more 
over  they  did  not  understand,  but  prodded  the 
rebellious  ones  mercilessly  with  their  bayonets. 
If  that  did  not  subdue  them,  they  presented  the 
muzzles  of  their  big  navy  revolvers  to  their 
heads  and  fired  a  bullet  or  two  within  an  inch  of 
their  scalps.  This  was  found  to  have  the  de 
sired  effect,  putting  an  end  to  argument  and 
silencing  opposition.  Women's  tears  and  men's 
oaths  were  equally  futile ;  and  as  for  the  threats 
and  clenched  fists  of  the  boys,  they  were  thought 
to  be  more  amusing  than  dangerous. 

The  sun  was  broiling  hot,  and  more  than  one 
poor  Norseman  was,  during  the  first  day's  work, 


150  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

overcome  by  the  heat,  and  was  carried  away  un 
conscious.  Two  died  before  noon  from  sun 
stroke,  and  the  next  day  a  woman  lost  her 
reason  and  became  a  raving  maniac.  Of  gold 
they  found,  of  course,  not  a  trace  ;  nor  did  they 
expect  to  find  any.  For  there  was  scarcely  one 
of  them  who  was  not  by  this  time  aware  that  he 
had  been  entrapped  by  Forest,  and  was  burn 
ing  to  pay  him  back  for  his  cruel  and  heartless 
deceit. 

At  the  end  of  a  week  fever  broke  out  in  the 
camp,  and  one  after  another  was  stricken  down, 
lay  for  three  or  four  days  raving,  without  care 
or  medical  aid,  and  then  died  in  hopeless  misery. 
But  the  soldiers  had  no  compassion  on  anyone, 
and  would  scarcely  permit  the  able-bodied  to 
absent  themselves  from  their  labor  long  enough 
to  attend  to  the  most  pressing  wants  of  the  sick. 
One  man  whose  wife  lay  dying  was  shot  down  in 
cold  blood  by  a  soldier,  because  he  broke  away 
and  ran  toward  the  shanty  with  a  pail  of  water 
to  give  to  the  sick  woman,  whose  piteous  cries 
reached  him  where  he  was  digging. 

James  Forest  kept  prudently  out  of  sight 
while  this  state  of  things  lasted,  and  never  ap 
peared  to  the  emigrants  except  under  the  escort 
of  two  soldiers.  Evidently  things  had  turned 
out  worse  than  he  had  foreseen  ;  and,  unscrup 
ulous  though  he  was,  he  was  not  hardened 


A   BORN  CHIEFTAIN  \^\ 

enough  to  look  without  twinges  of  remorse  at 
the  misery  of  which,  for  the  sake  of  some  thou 
sand  paltry  dollars,  he  had  been  the  cause.  But 
to  give  back  the  money  and  release  the  emi 
grants  did  not  occur  to  him  ;  and  it  is,  indeed, 
doubtful  whether  he  could  have  done  it  now, 
even  if  he  had  had  the  inclination. 


THREE  or  four  times  the  meeting  of  the  "  Res 
cuers  "  had  to  be  postponed,  because  it  was  found 
that  the  big  shanty,  or  the  barracks,  as  it  was 
called,  was  guarded  by  sentinels,  and  no  one  was 
allowed  to  leave  the  building  except  under  the 
escort  of  a  soldier.  Another  obstacle  to  the 
meeting  was  the  excessive  weariness  of  the  boys 
when,  after  a  day  of  hard  labor,  they  sought 
shelter  in  this  unattractive  caravansary.  Even 
Finn,  who  was  usually  a  wide-awake  fellow, 
often  fell  asleep  over  his  supper,  consisting  of 
moldy  bread  and  a  horrible  black  liquid  which 
was  said  to  be  tea  ;  and  Gudmund  Lian,  who 
had  lost  all  his  spirit,  crept  into  a  corner  on  the 
floor  the  moment  he  had  been  permitted  to  drop 
his  pickaxe,  and  fell  into  a  slumber  from  which 
nothing  short  of  the  last  trump  would  have 
awakened  him.  The  groans  of  the  sick  and  the 
dying  had  no  power  to  rouse  him,  and  the  centi- 


152  NORSE  LAND  TALES 

pedes  and  tarantulas  crawled  calmly  over  his 
neck  and  face,  leaving  sometimes  the  red  marks 
of  their  track,  but  never  disturbing  his  deep, 
trance-like  slumber.  Happily,  the  nights  were 
cool,  and  the  sea-breeze  blew  through  the  rick 
ety  clapboarding  of  the  barracks,  bringing  relief 
after  the  oppressive  heat  of  the  day.  In  fact,  it 
was  sometimes  so  cool  that  snakes  and  other 
vermin,  being  uncomfortable  without,  sought 
the  shelter  of  the  shanty  ;  and  many  a  time  the 
boys  woke  up  with  horror  at  the  touch  of  some 
green  lizard  or  dangerous-looking  snake,  which, 
allured  by  the  warmth  of  their  bodies,  had 
coiled  itself  up  under  their  very  noses,  within 
reach  of  their  breath.  Another  terror,  which 
was,  however,  confined  to  the  day,  was  the  so- 
called  Texan  fly — a  black,  shining,  metallic-look 
ing  little  monster,  which  bit  like  fire  and  poison, 
and  particularly  attacked  their  eyelids,  which 
swelled  up  and  became  red  and  inflamed.  And 
last,  but  not  least,  in  the  list  of  their  hardships 
was  the  quality  of  the  water  they  had  to  drink. 
Awful  it  was  to  those  free  and  hardy  Norsemen, 
accustomed  to  the  cool  glacial  breezes  and  the 
delicious  chill  of  their  mountain  springs,  to  have 
to  fill  their  mouths  with  this  lukewarm,  whitish 
liquid,  charged  with  alkaline  dust,  which  pro 
duced  nausea  and  serious  disorders,  and  finally, 
at  the  end  of  some  weeks,  caused  their  teeth  to 


A    BORN  CHIEFTAIN  I  $3 

loosen  and  fall  out.  With  despairing  hearts 
they  saw  their  comrades,  one  after  another,  suc 
cumb  to  the  fever  and  diseases  of  the  stomach  ; 
and  as  rebellion  was  not  to  be  thought  of  unless 
they  could,  by  some  means,  procure  arms,  there 
was  only  this  one  fearful  prospect  left  to  them, 
viz.,  to  lie  down  and  die  far  away  from  home 
and  kindred,  and  be  buried  like  a  dog  in  the 
nearest  pile  of  railroad  dirt. 

It  took  Finn  Framness  three  weeks  to  disT 
cover  that  this  was  to  be  the  inevitable  fate  of 
everyone  of  them,  and  he  resolved  to  risk  his 
own  life  in  an  attempt  to  rescue  his  countrymen 
from  such  a  doom.  If  die  he  must,  better  die 
like  a  brave  man  and  a  Norseman  than  like  a 
chicken -livered  poltroon!  For  three  days  he 
pondered  his  plan  of  rescue,  and  was  repeatedly 
prodded  by  the  bayonet  of  the  Mexican  guard 
when  he  stopped  to  rest  on  the  handle  of  his 
spade  while  struggling  with  some  knotty  point. 

"  Dog  of  a  heretic,"  cried  the  guard  again  and 
again,  giving  him  a  vicious  punch  with  his  gun, 
"  stir  not  my  gall,  or,  by  the  saints,  I'll  send  a 
bullet  through  your  brain  !  " 

But,  happily,  this  threat  was  lost  on  Finn,  for 
he  understood  but  a  few  words  of  Spanish 
which  he  had  picked  up  since  coming  to  Mex 
ico.  He  managed,  in  the  course  of  the  next  few 
days,  to  communicate  his  plan  to  his  faithful 


154  NORSELAND   TALES 

followers  and  to  appoint  a  meeting  of  the  Res 
cuers  in  a  corner  of  the  barracks,  when  all  the 
rest  were  asleep.  On  the  appointed  evening  he 
had  his  hands  full  in  keeping  the  Rescuers 
awake,  for  they  were  so  exhausted  with  weari 
ness  that  the  only  thing  in  the  world  that 
seemed  desirable  to  them  was  rest,  unconscious 
ness,  oblivion.  But  Finn  knew  the  danger  of 
this  dull  indifference,  and  he  would  give  them 
no  respite  or  peace.  His  heart  was  afire  with 
heroic  resolution  ;  and,  come  what  might,  this 
time  he  was  resolved  to  act.  About  ten  o'clock 
all  the  emigrants  were  asleep,  and  a  chorus  of 
snores,  in  all  keys,  rose  and  fell  upon  the  air 
with  depressing  regularity.  Knute,  the  Gypsy, 
was  sitting,  with  eyes  as  big  as  saucers,  in  his 
corner,  clasping  his  knees  with  his  hands,  and 
Magnus,  proud  of  having  been  taken  into  the 
confidence  of  his  older  brother,  was  leaning 
against  the  wall  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets, 
trying  to  look  as  manly  as  his  size  would  permit. 
Finn  had  almost  to  drag  Gudmund  Lian  along, 
and  once  or  twice  he  stuck  a  pin  into  him,  in 
order  to  make  sure  that  he  was  awake.  When 
they  were  all  seated  together  in  the  corner, 
Finn  struck  out  with  his  right  hand  and  said,  in 
an  excited  whisper  : 

"  Boys,  now  it  is  the  time  to  prove  what  stuff 
there  is  in  us." 


A   BORN-  CHIEFTAIN  155 

"  Right,  you  are,  captain,"  echoed  the  Gypsy. 
"  I  am  with  you,  whatever  you  mean  to  do." 

"  And  I,  too,"  said  Magnus. 

"  And  me,  too,"  murmured  Gudmund,  drow 
sily. 

"  Yes,  but  you  won't  be  much  good  unless  you 
can  keep  awake,"  said  Finn,  sternly. 

"  I  am  awake  now,"  the  big  boy  declared,  with 
an  injured  air.  "  I  don't  know  what  is  the  matter 
with  me.  I  never  was  this  way  in  Norway  ;  but 
then  in  Norway  no  man  was  ever  made  to  do 
the  work  of  two  horses." 

"  That's  true, Gudmund,"  Finn  broke  in  ;  "but 
we  won't  stand  that  any  more,  and  that's  the  rea 
son  I  have  called  you  to-night.  Our  only  chance 
is  in  getting  the  better  of  the  sentry.  I  have  my 
suspicions  that  he  sometimes  goes  to  sleep,  and  if 
we  could  catch  him  napping  and  disarm  him,  I 
think  we  could  manage  the  whole  job." 

"  How  many  men  will  you  need  ?  "  asked  the 
Gypsy. 

"  I  need  you  four ;  but  it  wouldn't  do  any  harm 
if  I  had  a  dozen  more.  I  am  going  to  select  the 
rest  to-morrow.  I  have  noticed  that  every  even 
ing  the  guns  are  stacked  outside  the  captain's 
tent ;  and  if  a  dozen  of  us  can  get  there  before 
the  sentry  can  make  an  outcry,  we  can  capture 
the  rifles  and  arm  all  our  men.  Two  hundred 
Norsemen  with  twenty-five  rifles  would  sell  their 


156  NORSELAND  TALES 

lives  dearly.    They  would  be  more  than  a  match 
for  the  soldiers." 

For  more  than  an  hour  they  sat  and  talked 
in  whispers,  and  finally  agreed  upon  a  plan  of  at 
tack. 


VI 


IT  was  a  dark  and  stormy  night.  The  emig 
rants,  who  had  all  been  notified  that  an  attempt 
was  to  be  made  to  rescue  them,  were  lying  about 
on  the  floor  of  the  barracks,  pretending  to  be 
asleep;  but  every  now  and  then  an  emaciated 
face  would  be  lifted  from  the  sack  that  served 
for  a  pillow,  a  trembling  hand  would  strike  a 
match,  and  a  pair  of  excited  blue  eyes  would 
peer  anxiously  through  the  dark.  About  mid 
night,  when  the  storm  was  at  its  height  without, 
four  shadowy  figures  rose  at  the  sound  of  a  soft 
whistle  which  could  scarcely  be  heard  above  the 
monotonous  chorus  of  snores. 

"  I  am  afraid  you  are  overdoing  the  snoring 
business,  dad,"  said  Finn,  stooping  over  his 
father,  who  was  snoring  an  artistic  solo  all  by 
himself. 

"  Well,  lad,  it  don't  matter,  for  the  storm  is 
snoring  louder  than  all  of  us,"  Thor  Framness 
replied. 

"  Keep  your  eye  peeled,  dad,"  Finn  continued, 


A   BORN  CHIEFTAIN  157 

"  and  if  you  hear  me  jell  or  hear  a  shot  fired, 
you'll  have  a  dozen  or  twenty  men  in  readiness 
and  rush  up  to  the  camp." 

"  But  hadn't  you  better  take  me  along  at 
once  ?  "  his  father  asked.  "  I  am  stronger  than 
you  are,  and  I  might  be  of  service  to  you." 

"  You  can  be  of  more  service  to  us  here,"  his 
son  answered.  "  We  need  a  reliable  man,  with 
a  head  on  his  shoulders,  to  take  command  here 
and  bring  us  help  when  we  shall  need  it." 

"  You  are  a  brave  lad,  Finn,"  said  Thor,  grasp 
ing  his  son's  hand  and  pressing  it  warmly. 
"  You  are  more  of  a  man  than  any  of  us.  May 
God  hold  his  hand  over  you  and  bless  you  and 
keep  you ! " 

He  brushed  a  tear  from  the  corner  of  his  eye, 
and,  lying  down  again  with  a  heavy  heart,  re 
sumed  his  solo.  He  heard  vaguely  the  move 
ments  of  the  "  Rescuers,"  who  were  cautiously 
forcing  a  couple  of  boards  in  the  clapboarding  of 
the  wall,  and  he  expected  every  minute  to  hear 
the  dreaded  challenge  of  the  sentry  and  the  shot 
that  would  be  sure  to  follow.  But  one,  two, 
three  minutes  elapsed,  and  no  sound  except  the 
howling  of  the  wind  broke  the  silence. 

The  "  Rescuers "  had  in  the  meanwhile  suc 
ceeded  in  crawling  out,  and  they  were  at  first  so 
completely  covered  by  the  darkness  that  they 
banished  all  fear  of  discovery.  It  was  no  longer 


158  NORSELAND   TALES 

raining,  but  the  wind  was  driving  the  clouds 
with  tremendous  speed  across  the  sky,  and  was 
rapidly  clearing  a  blue  space  above  the  zenith. 
Finn  was  leading  the  way,  keeping  close  to  the 
wall,  carrying,  as  on  a  former  occasion,  a  looped 
cord  in  his  hand.  Close  on  his  heels  came  big 
Gudmund  Lian,  and  behind  him  Knute,  the 
Gypsy,  and  Magnus.  They  trod  as  noiselessly 
as  possible,  fearing  lest  the  breaking  of  a  twig 
under  their  feet  or  the  click  of  their  heels  on  a 
stone  would  arouse  the  suspicion  of  a  sentry. 
Then  there  was  the  additional  danger  in  the 
clearing  sky,  which  was  rapidly  dispelling  the 
darkness  or  changing  it  into  dusk.  Finn  was  the 
first  to  reach  the  corner  at  which  the  soldier  was 
stationed.  Breathlessly  he  craned  his  neck  and 
saw  a  stalwart  form  with  a  gun  on  his  shoulder 
outlined  in  the  twilight.  Happily,  the  clearing 
space  in  the  sky  seemed  to  be  absorbing  the  at 
tention  of  the  Mexican  ;  he  was  standing  motion 
less,  watching  the  fantastic  clouds,  and  he  was 
turning  his  back  toward  the  barracks.  A  slight 
uneasiness  suddenly  took  possession  of  him  ;  he 
grabbed  hold  of  the  barrel  of  his  rifle  and  was 
about  to  turn,  when  something  flew  at  him  out 
of  the  dusk,  his  throat  was  contracted  with  a 
strangling  sensation,  and  he  was  flung  upon  his 
back,  with  a  company  of  demons  on  the  top  of 
him.  He  tried  to  scream,  but  not  a  sound  could 


A    BORN  CHIEFTAIN  I  59 

he  produce.  Red  and  blue  sparks  danced  before 
his  eyes. 

"  Silencio ! "  someone  whispered  in  his  ear, 
with  startling  distinctness ;  "  silencio  o  morto  /  " 

That  was  not  very  elegant  Spanish,  perhaps, 
but  for  all  that  its  meaning  was  unmistakable. 
When  this  sentence  had  been  twice  repeated  he 
felt  the  lasso  about  his  neck  loosening  a  trifle,  so 
that  he  was  in  no  immediate  danger  of  strangula 
tion.  But  the  grip  of  the  fellow  that  sat  upon 
his  chest  and  held  his  hands,  while  in  the  act  of 
tying  them,  was  like  a  vise  of  steel.  The  revol 
vers  were  quickly  pulled  out  of  his  belt  and  his 
rifle  removed.  In  two  minutes  he  was  as  helpless 
as  a  new-born  babe — nay,  more  so,  for  he  had  lost 
even  the  faculty  of  screaming.  With  great  des 
patch  he  was  picked  up  and  carried  inside  the 
barracks,  where  two  men  sat  down,  one  on  each 
side  of  him,  holding  the  muzzle  of  a  revolver  to 
his  temples. 

Encouraged  by  their  success,  the  boys  started 
out  to  secure  the  sentry  at  the  other  end  of  the 
barracks,  who,  much  to  their  relief,  was  sound 
asleep  and  boozy  from  drink.  He  was  quickly 
lassoed,  disarmed,  gagged,  and  bound,  and  con 
veyed  in  safety  inside  the  building.  Everything 
had  so  far  been  done  with  the  greatest  noiseless- 
ness  and  despatch  ;  Finn  had  flung  the  lasso,  Gud- 
mund  pulled  down  the  man,  and  Knute  and  Mag- 


I6O  NORSELAND   TALES 

nus  pounced  upon  him  and  gagged  him.  But 
the  most  important  part  of  their  undertaking 
was  yet  to  be  accomplished.  They  had  to  se 
cure  the  rifles  stacked  before  the  captain's  tent. 
The  camp,  which  was  scarcely  two  hundred  feet 
distant,  was  pitched  on  a  little  hill  overgrown 
with  palmettos  and  enormous  cacti,  which 
stretched  their  prickly  arms  toward  all  the  points 
of  the  compass.  But  there  was  a  patch  cleared 
through  this  underbrush  which,  particularly  at 
night,  was  infested  with  poisonous  snakes  and 
reptiles.  And  of  these  the  four  "  Rescuers  "  were 
now  more  afraid  than  they  were  of  the  sleeping 
soldiers.  Step  by  step  they  advanced,  peering 
through  the  twilight,  and  when  they  saw  a  pair 
of  glowing  points  sparkling  in  the  path,  they 
struck  at  it  promptly  with  their  sticks,  until  it 
slipped  into  the  underbrush  or  the  two  red  sparks 
flickered  and  went  out.  The  wind  was  yet 
blowing  fiercely,  and  wild  voices  filled  the  air, 
making  the  sound  of  their  progress  inaudible. 
Without  accident  they  reached  the  camp,  and 
while  Gypsy  stood  guard  with  a  cocked  revolver, 
the  others  carried  the  twenty-three  rifles  first  in 
to  the  brush  and  thence  to  the  barracks.  They 
were  just  struggling  with  the  last  load  when,  as 
ill-luck  would  have  it,  Magnus  stumbled  over  a 
stone  and  fell,  knocking  the  lock  of  a  rifle  against 
the  ground.  Instantly  the  sharp  report  of  a  shot 


A    BORN  CHIEFTAIN'  l6l 

rang  out  upon  the  air.   The  wind  seemed  to  hold 
its  breath,  and  through  the  calm   that  followed 
sounded  the   rousing   call   of  bugle   and   drum. 
But  the  emigrants,  too,  had  heard  that  shot,  and 
had,  at  Thor's  command,  marched  out  in  closed 
phalanx.     Twenty  armed  men,  led  by  Finn's  fath 
er,  started  up  the  hillside  and  joined  the  boys, 
who  were  retreating  as  fast  as  their  burden  would 
permit.     Through  the  dusk  they  could  see  the 
frightened  Mexicans  run  hither  and  thither  in 
search  of  the  rifles  which  they  could  not  find ; 
and  they  could  hear  them  swearing  and  calling 
upon  the  saints  for  help  against  the  accursed  here 
tics.     The  boys  could  scarcely  help  laughing,  in 
spite  of  their  anxiety.     But  they  were  well  aware 
that  their  task  was,  as  yet,  but  half  accomplished. 
The  soldiers   had  yet   their   revolvers,  and  they 
would   surely   not  abandon  the   field  without  a 
fight.     As  rapidly  as  possible  Finn  and  his  father 
distributed   the   captured   rifles  to   those  of   the 
emigrants   who   had   served  in    the   Norwegian 
army,  and  with  these  as  a  rear-guard,  the  phalanx 
was  set  in  motion  along  the  road  leading  north 
ward,  by  which  they  had  come. 
ii 


l62  NORSELAND   TALES 


VII 

THEY  had  advanced  scarcely  a  quarter  of  a 
mile,  when  a  vague,  rosy  flush  broke  through  the 
clouds  in  the  east,  and  a  saffron  glow  began 
to  spread  along  the  horizon.  It  seemed  strange 
that  they  had  not  yet  been  overtaken;  and 
they  began  to  fear  that  the  soldiers  had  slipped 
away  unobserved,  and  were  lying  in  ambush 
somewhere  along  the  road.  Their  progress, 
therefore,  had  to  be  slow  and  cautious ;  and  the 
armed  men  had  to  be  divided  between  the  van 
and  the  rear,  so  as  to  guard  against  unforeseen 
attacks.  What  still  further  retarded  the  march 
was  the  number  of  sick  and  children,  which  the 
others  had  to  take  turns  in  carrying.  It  took  a 
long  time  before  the  golden  edge  of  the  sun 
showed  above  the  ridge  of  the  mountains;  and 
every  moment  was  charged  with  anguish  to 
the  poor  fugitives ;  for  the  inhuman  maltreat 
ment  which  they  had  suffered  had  weakened 
the  majority  of  them  in  body  and  in  spirit ;  and 
they  had  so  long  brooded  over  their  hopeless 
misery  that  they  found  it  impossible  to  believe 
that  now  the  hour  of  deliverance  had  really 
struck.  Only  the  "  Rescuers,"  who  insisted  on 
walking  in  front  in  spite  of  all  warnings,  kept 
stout  hearts  in  their  breasts,  and  found  relief  in 


A    BORN"  CHIEFTAIN  163 

action  after  the  weary  months  of  passive  endur 
ance. 

They  had  marched  a  full  hour,  and  had  reached 
a  hill  from  which  there  was  a  superb  view  into 
the  valley  below.  It  struck  Finn,  as  he  noticed 
the  lay  of  the  land,  that  the  narrow  pass,  where 
the  hills  on  both  sides  sprang  forward,  afforded 
a  fine  chance  for  an  ambush.  He  called  his  fath 
er's  attention  to  the  mysterious  disappearance  of 
the  soldiers,  and  suggested  that  very  likely  they 
were  hiding  in  the  shrubbery  at  that  point,  and 
were  preparing  for  an  attack.  Thor  immediately 
ordered  a  halt ;  nothing  seemed  to  him  more  prob 
able  than  such  a  manoeuvre.  The  question  was 
now  how  to  avoid  falling  into  the  trap.  Three 
hundred  people,  of  whom  but  twenty-nine  were 
armed,  might  easily  be  massacred  at  close  quar 
ters  by  twenty-five,  in  a  narrow  pass,  where  their 
numbers  would  be  a  hindrance  rather  than  an 
advantage.  And,  again,  the  soldiers  were  well 
provided  with  ammunition,  while  the  Norsemen 
had  no  cartridges  beyond  the  twelve  which  each 
rifle  contained.  It  was  a  serious  situation,  and 
for  a  good  while  no  one  had  any  advice  to  offer. 

"  I  think  I  see  a  way  out  of  the  difficulty,"  said 
Finn,  modestly,  when  he  saw  that  no  one  else  had 
anything  to  suggest. 

"  Let  us  hear  it,  Finn  ;  let  us  hear  it,"  cried  the 
"  Rescuers,"  eagerly. 


1 64  NORSELAND   TALES 

"  Well,"  observed  the  boy,  viewing  the  valley 
as  a  general  might  a  field  of  battle,  "  we've  got 
to  divide — that's  all." 

"  Divide?"  they  exclaimed  ;  "but  how  are  we 
to  find  each  other  again  ?  " 

"  The  valley  is  open,  and  we  shall  find  no  diffi 
culty  in  signalling  to  each  other,"  Finn  replied. 

"  Let  one  party  with  twelve  rifles  take  the 
eastern  side,  and  another  with  the  same  number 
of  rifles  the  western  side.  If  the  soldiers  pursue 
either  party,  the  other  will  attack  their  rear,  and 
with  our  long-range  rifles  we  can  pick  them  off, 
one  by  one,  before  they  can  get  at  us  with  their 
short-range  revolvers." 

This  plan  was  briefly  discussed  and  adopted. 
It  was  bright  daylight  when  the  party  divided, 
and,  leaving  the  bridle-path  which  they  had  hith 
erto  followed,  climbed  up  the  brambly  hillside, 
where  cacti  in  gorgeous  bloom  and  fan-like  pal 
mettos  at  every  step  retarded  their  march.  If 
the  soil  had  been  fertile  and  the  underbrush 
dense,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  make 
headway  against  the  innumerable  barriers  of  a 
tropical  vegetation;  but,  happily,  the  soil  was 
sterile,  supporting  but  a  scant  vegetation,  and 
the  dust-brown,  sun-scorched  hills  offered  no  in 
superable  obstacles  to  their  progress.  Finn,  who 
went  with  the  party  that  took  the  eastern  side  of 
the  valley,  kept  his  eye  on  the  narrow  path ; 


A   BORN  CHIEFTAIN 

while  Gudmund  Lian  cut  down  cacti  with  his 
knife  to  clear  the  path,  and  Knute,  the  Gypsy, 
was  commissioned  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for 
rattlesnakes.  It  was  slow  and  laborious  work; 
but  the  sense  of  danger  fired  their  blood  and 
buoyed  up  their  spirits. 

They  had  advanced  half  a  mile  or  more  in 
this  manner,  when  Finn  suddenly  noticed  a  com 
motion  in  the  underbrush  some  hundred  feet  be 
low,  and  he  plainly  saw  the  glinting  of  arms 
among  the  leaves  and  heard  the  click  of  metal 
scabbards  knocking  against  the  stones.  His 
father,  whose  attention  was  called  to  these  sus 
picious  sounds,  ordered  a  halt,  and  each  man 
who  carried  a  gun  knelt  down  and  made  ready 
to  fire.  Several  minutes  elapsed  in  breathless 
silence.  Only  a  buzzard  that  soared  high  in  the 
morning  air  gave  a  hoarse  scream,  and  the  lo 
custs  whirred  away  in  the  tree-tops. 

"  There  !  "  cried  Finn,  "  look  there  !  " 

Slowly,  in  the  shelter  of  bowlders  and  scrubby 
underbrush,  a  human  figure  was  seen  crawling 
forward,  followed  by  another  and  another. 

"  Don't  let  them  get  within  range,  father," 
whispered  Finn  ;  "  I  should  hate  to  see  even  one 
of  those  rascals  killed.  They  are  doing  what 
they  think  is  their  duty." 

"  Without  shedding  of  blood  we  shall  scarcely 
escape,"  Thor  replied.  "  Those  fellows  would 


1 66  NORSELAXD   TALES 

just  as  soon  kill  us  as  wink  ;  and  to  save  our 
lives  we've  got  to  treat  them  as  they  would 
treat  us." 

"  A  dose  of  cold  lead  is  the  only  medicine  for 
such  fellows  as  they,"  said  the  Gypsy,  clenching 
his  fist,  for  he  had  many  insults  to  avenge  ; 
"  if  nobody  else  will  shoot,  give  me  a  rifle,  and 
I'll  put  a  hole  in  the  first  skull  that  shows  itself 
above  the  bowlders." 

One  of  the  men  took  this  advice  seriously,  and, 
without  awaiting  the  word  of  command,  blazed 
away  at  a  prostrate  figure  that  was  wriggling 
forward  among  the  stones.  Where  he  hit  he 
could  not  tell,  but  that  he  had  hit  was  evident 
from  the  commotion  which  the  shot  occasioned. 
With  a  shout  the  Mexicans  broke  from  their 
ambush  and  rushed  up  the  hillside  toward  the 
emigrants.  But  if  they  had  had  any  idea  of  the 
marksmanship  of  the  Norsemen,  they  would 
have  seen  the  risks  of  so  bold  a  manoeuvre.  Be 
fore  they  had  come  close  enough  to  use  their 
revolvers,  half  a  dozen  had  received  wounds 
which  compelled  them  to  drop  down  among  the 
stones.  And  when  they  had  advanced  near 
enough  they  found,  to  their  horror,  that  the 
bullets  that  whizzed  so  unpleasantly  in  their 
ears  were  coming  from  the  rear  as  well  as  from 
the  front.  For  at  the  first  sound  of  fighting  the 
western  division  of  the  emigrants  had  rushed 


A   BORN  CHIEFTAIN-  l6/ 

down  toward  the  pass  and  arrived  in  the  nick  of 
time,  just  as  Mexican  bullets  were  beginning  to 
take  effect  in  the  ranks  of  the  Norsemen.  Finn 
had  got  a  pistol  ball  in  the  fleshy  part  of  his  arm, 
and  Gudmund  was  sitting  on  the  ground  trying 
to  stanch  the  blood  that  flowed  from  a  wound  in 
his  leg.  For  five  minutes  there  was  dire  confu 
sion.  The  Mexicans  yelled  and  broke  into  a  run, 
stopping  now  and  then  to  pick  up  a  wounded 
comrade  ;  and  the  Norsemen,  who  had  no  desire 
to  capture  them,  shouted  no  less  lustily  while 
cracking  away  with  their  rifles,  to  speed  the 
parting  foe. 

One  Mexican  soldier  they  found  lying  dead 
under  a  shrub,  and  they  recognized  in  him  one 
of  the  most  cruel  and  heartless  of  their  guard 
ians,  who  had  caused  them  much  needless  suffer 
ing.  Nevertheless  the  sight  of  him  saddened 
them,  and  they  dug  a  grave  for  him  and  buried 
him  in  the  shadow  of  a  huge  blood-red  cactus. 
Of  their  own  number  about  a  dozen  were 
wounded,  but  no  one  dangerously.  They  had 
now  no  fear  of  returning  to  the  road  ;  and  their 
march  was  continued  for  five  hours  without 
exceptional  hardship.  Toward  evening  they 
reached  a  small  stream  which  they  had  to  ford. 
Here  the  vegetation  was  fresher,  and  game  was 
found  to  be  abundant.  Several  dozen  wild  tur 
keys  were  killed,  and  a  couple  of  deer  of  a  kind 


1 68  NORSELAND  TALES 

which  the  Norsemen  had  never  seen  before. 
And  it  was  high  time  that  provisions  were  se 
cured,  as  they  had  fasted  during  the  entire  day 
while  marching  in  the  oppressive  heat. 

Of  the  adventures  of  the  emigrants  during  the 
next  three  days  there  is  nothing  of  importance 
to  relate,  but  on  the  fourth  day  they  crossed  the 
Rio  Grande  at  a  ferry  place,  and  fell  in  with  a 
company  of  United  States  soldiers.  The  sur 
geon  of  the  company  volunteered  to  examine 
the  injuries  of  the  wounded  ones  ;  and  it  was 
high  time.  Poor  Finn's  arm  had  swollen  until 
it  was  twice  its  natural  size,  and  Gudmund's  leg 
was  so  sore  that  it  was  agony  to  use  it.  Now 
the  wounds  were  cleansed  and  properly  band 
aged,  the  bullets  were  extracted,  and  the  inva 
lids  were  cared  for  as  if  they  had  been  princes. 
One  evening,  while  the  two  wounded  boys  lay 
in  their  cots  in  the  tent  which  had  been  assigned 
them,  Captain  Fingall,  the  officer  in  command  of 
the  company,  entered,  and  began  to  talk  with 
them.  Unfortunately,  they  did  not  know  enough 
English  to  answer  the  questions  he  asked,  and 
as  the  officer  was  interested  in  them,  he  sent  for 
a  subaltern  who  was  a  Norseman  by  birth,  and 
asked  him  to  act  as  interpreter.  What  Finn's 
modesty  made  him  reluctant  to  tell,  Gudmund 
was  eager  to  supply,  and  at  the  end  of  an  hour 
Captain  Fingall  had  received  a  correct  and  tol- 


A    BORN  CHIEFTAIN  169 

erably  complete  account  of  the  history  of  the 
emigrants  and  the  deeds  of  the  "  Rescuers  "  since 
their  departure  from  Norway. 

"  But,  my  dear  lad  !  "  he  exclaimed,  seizing 
Finn's  hand  and  pressing  it  warmly,  "  you  are  a 
regular  Xenophon.  It  would  be  a  pity  if  the 
army  of  the  United  States  were  to  lose  a  mili 
tary  genius  of  such  promise." 

He  was  so  much  impressed  with  the  resolution 
and  courage  of  the  boy  that  he  told  his  story  re 
peatedly  in  Washington  during  the  following 
winter.  And  one  of  those  who  heard  how  one 
brave  boy  had  saved  the  lives  of  nearly  four 
hundred,  sent  money  to  educate  Finn  Framness, 
who  within  two  years  received  an  appointment 
as  a  West  Point  cadet,  and  within  six  years  a 
lieutenancy  in  the  United  States  Army.  And,  if 
I  am  correctly  informed,  he  is  regarded  by  his 
comrades  as  one  of  the  most  brilliant  and  prom 
ising  officers  who  wear  that  honored  uniform. 

The  emigrants  whom  Finn  and  his  "  Rescu 
ers  "  had  led  out  of  the  Mexican  bondage  settled 
later  on  railroad  land  in  Texas,  and  founded  one 
of  the  most  prosperous  communities  in  that  large 
and  fertile  State.  Gudmund  Lian  is  now  the 
owner  of  a  big  house  and  some  five  hundred 
acres  of  rich  wheat  land  ;  and  there  is  no  better 
American  in  the  whole  State  of  Texas  than  he. 
Little  Magnus  has  taken  to  trade,  and  has  a  pop- 


170  NORSELAND   TALES 

ular  store,  where  all  the  Norsemen  buy  their 
farm  tools  and  agricultural  machinery ;  and  they 
like  Magnus  none  the  less  because  they  think  he 
is  a  little  bit  inclined  to  brag  of  his  brother  the 
lieutenant.  "  Only  think  of  it,"  he  is  apt.  to  say, 
"  the  captain  called  him  a '  regular  Xenophon  '- 
a  born  chieftain  !  " 

And  the  farmers,  though  they  have  not  the  re 
motest  idea  of  what  "  a  regular  Xenophon " 
means,  are  nevertheless  proud  of  belonging  to 
the  same  nationality  as  so  distinguished  a  char 
acter. 


THE  FEUD  OF  THE  WILDHAYMEN 

PEER  LANGELEIK  was  the  son  of  a  wildhay- 
man,  who  was  also  named  Peer  Langeleik ;  and 
as  they  had  already  names  in  common,  it  seemed 
but  natural  that  they  should  have  the  same 
trade  too.  And  thus  it  happened  that  old  Peer 
began  early  to  train  young  Peer  for  his  perilous 
occupation. 

There  are  but  two  countries  in  Europe,  that  I 
know  of,  where  the  wildhayman  flourishes,  viz., 
Switzerland  and  Norway.  Meadow  land  is  there 
so  scarce,  and  the  fodder  is  so  expensive,  that  it 
becomes  worth  one's  while  to  gather  it,  wher 
ever  it  may  happen  to  be  found.  During  the 
summer  there  is  an  abundance  of  free  pasture 
for  the  cattle  on  the  great  mountain  plains  ;  and 
everybody  can  keep  as  many  cows  and  horses  as 
he  has  money  to  pay  for — or  as  many,  rather,  as 
he  can  feed  through  the  winter.  It  becomes  a 
great  question  then  to  scrape  together,  by  hook 
or  by  crook,  as  much  hay  as  possible  for  the 
snowy  season.  And  this  is  the  business  of  the 
wildhayman.  Often  a  beautiful  patch  of  rich, 
juicy  grass  will  be  growing  midway  down  a 


1 7 "2  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

steep,  rocky  slope  under  an  overhanging  preci 
pice,  where  it  would  have  to  go  to  waste  with 
out  benefiting  anybody,  if  it  were  not  for  the 
wildhayman.  He  lets  himself  down  over  the 
edge  of  the  beetling  rock  by  a  rope,  cuts  the 
grass  with  a  sickle,  stuffs  it  into  a  bag  which 
he  carries  suspended  from  his  waist,  and,  when 
his  bag  is  full,  he  gives  a  signal  to  his  compan 
ion  to  pull  him  up  again.  When,  by  long  and 
hard  labor,  he  has  got  a  sufficient  quantity  to 
gether,  he  goes  to  some  peasant  proprietor  and 
sells  it,  or  to  the  merchant  and  exchanges  it  for 
flour,  coffee,  and  sugar. 

The  first  thing  Peer  Langeleik  thought  of,  when 
a  son  was  born  to  him,  was  that  he  would  now  soon 
be  able  to  dispense  with  his  partner,  who,  for  the 
very  unimportant  help  he  rendered  in  pulling  him 
up,  devoured  half  his  profits.  And,  truth  to  tell, 
the  very  first  thing  his  partner,  Ulf  Fannivold, 
thought  of,  when,  about  the  same  time,  he  found 
himself  father  to  a  sturdy  boy,  was  that  now  he 
would  soon  be  able  to  dispense  with  Peer.  They 
frequently  quarrelled,  and  had  never  gotten  on 
very  well  together.  I  fancy  that  more  than 
once  it  had  occurred  to  either  of  them  to  stum 
ble  or  slip,  quite  accidentally,  of  course,  when  he 
held  the  other  suspended  over  the  dizzy  abysses. 
But  somehow  neither  had  acted  on  any  such 
impulse  ;  and  on  the  day  when  their  two  sons 


THE  FEUD    OF  THE    WILDHAYMEN          173 

were  carried  to  church  to  be  christened,  they 
shook  hands  and  congratulated  each  other  like 
the  best  of  friends. 

Peer  Langeleik  was  in  such  a  hurry  to  have 
his  son  grow  up,  that  he  used  playfully  to  grab 
him  by  the  legs  and  stretch  him  every  morning, 
before  he  started  out  and  every  evening  on  re 
turning.  It  may  have  been  due  to  this  opera 
tion  that  little  Peer  regularly  added  a  couple  of 
inches  to  his  height  every  year ;  and  when  he 
was  twelve  years  old  his  father  concluded  that  he 
was  old  enough  to  help  him  in  his  business.  It 
was  of  no  use  that  Gudrid,  the  boy's  mother, 
made  objections  and  tearfully  declared  that  he 
would  grow  dizzy  and  tumble  headlong  into  the 
abyss  the  first  time  he  was  let  down  over  a 
precipice.  Peer  pronounced  such  words  "  fool's 
talk,"  and  asked  if  she  didn't  know  wKat  the 
rope  was  for.  For  all  that,  Gudrid  insisted  that 
such  business  was  too  dangerous  for  a  child,  and 
that  Peer,  instead  of  making  a  wildhayman  of 
his  son,  should  train  him  to  be  a  fiddler.  The 
fact  was,  Peer  Langeleik  was  a  wildhayman 
only  in  the  summer.  In  the  winter,  when  there 
was  no  grass  to  cut,  he  made  his  living  as  a 
fiddler. 

When  the  rumor  spread  in  the  valley  that 
Peer  Langeleik  had  made  a  wildhayman  of  his 
twelve-year-old  son,  there  was  much  wagging  of 


1/4  NORSELAND   TALES 

tongues  and  many  prophecies  of  disaster.  But 
it  was  never  known  by  any  one  how  near  these 
prophecies  came  to  fulfilment,  for  during  the 
second  week  of  the  boy's  apprenticeship,  when, 
sickle  in  hand,  he  was  lowered  to  a  long  strip 
of  grass  which  covered  a  rocky  ledge,  scarce 
ly  a  yard  wide,  his  foot  slipped  and  he  swung 
out  into  space,  like  a  pendulum,  dashing  back 
against  the  wall  of  the  rock,  dropping  the  sickle 
and  cutting  his  head  fearfully. 

His  father,  who  was  holding  on  to  the  rope 
above,  grew  white  with  fear  when  he  felt  the 
sudden  weight  of  the  boy  thus  suspended  ; 
and  with  trembling  hands  and  his  heart  in  his 
throat  he  began  cautiously  to  pull  up  the  pre 
cious  burden.  But  when,  having  fastened  the 
rope  about  a  stout  tree-root,  he  leaned  out  over 
the  precipice,  so  as  to  prevent  the  child  from 
bumping  against  the  edge  of  the  rock,  his  blood 
ran  cold  with  horror.  For  there,  on  the  ledge 
below,  sat  an  imp-like  little  chap,  with  a  red 
peaked  cap,  and  grinned  up  at  him.  He  thought 
surely  it  must  be  a  small  troll  or  a  brownie,  who 
had  pushed  little  Peer ;  and  he  knew  that  if  his 
son  had  incurred  the  ill-will  of  such  creatures,  it 
would  be  useless  to  try  to  make  a  wildhayman 
out  of  him.  But  just  as  he  was  reconciling  him 
self  to  this  idea,  he  discovered  a  waving  of  tree- 
tops  in  the  underbrush  far  below,  and  presently 


THE  FEUD    OF   THE    WILDHAYMEN          1/5 

caught  sight  of  Ulf  Fannivold,  his  old  partner, 
who  was  signalling  up  to  the  little  fellow  on  the 
ledge.  Then  it  became  plain  to  him  that  Ulf, 
too,  had  made  a  wildhayman  of  his  son,  and  that 
the  old  feud  was  bound  to  last  until  the  one  or 
the  other  bit  the  dust. 

Never  had  Peer  Langeleik  felt  more  miser 
able  than  when  he  lifted  his  son  over  the  brink 
of  the  rock,  and  saw  the  blood  drip  from  an 
ugly  wound  in  his  forehead.  He  carried  him 
to  a  brook  near  by,  and  bathed  his  head  in 
the  icy  water,  until  at  last  he  opened  his  eyes 
and  slowly  recovered  consciousness.  And  so 
glad  was  his  father  when  he  saw  recognition  in 
his  eyes,  that  he  could  not  contain  himself,  but 
clasped  little  Peer  in  his  arms  and  cried  like  a 
child.  But  when  his  feelings  were  relieved,  his 
face  grew  suddenly  dark,  and  he  vowed  to  him 
self  that  Ulf  Fannivold  and  his  brat  should  pay 
dearly  for  the  dangerous  trick  they  had  played 

' 

him. 

For  three  or  four  years  after  this  incident  the 
parish  was  full  of  rumors  about  the  feud  of  the 
wildhaymen.  Little  Ulf,  it  was  said,  was  bound 
sooner  or  later  to  beat  little  Peer  ;  for  he  could 
climb  like  a  goat,  and  there  was  not  a  mountain 
wall  in  the  whole  valley  too  steep  for  him  to 
scale.  He  was  small  and  wiry,  had  a  pert  nose, 
queer,  oldish  little  face,  not  at  all  handsome,  but 


176  NOKSELAND   TALES 

with  a  pair  of  wonderfully  lively  and  alert  eyes. 
He  needed  no  rope  like  his  rival ;  for  he  could 
wedge  his  tiny  toes  into  a  crevice  scarcely  big 
enough  for  a  beetle  to  enter ;  and  he  could  run 
and  wriggle  and  wind  himself  through  and 
around  the  most  incredible  obstacles,  and  nab 
a  tuft  of  grass  which  you  would  have  sworn 
no  creature  without  wings  could  ever  have 
reached.  No  wonder  Peer  Langeleik  was 
alarmed  ;  there  would  soon  be  no  wild  hay  left 
for  him  and  his  son  to  gather.  Wherever  they 
went,  that  red-capped  little  imp  had  always  been 
before  them.  Every  slope  and  every  ravine  was 
stripped  of  its  herbage  before  it  was  full-grown  ; 
and  the  following  summer  little  patches  of  oats 
and  barley  and  timothy  and  clover  were  found 
to  have  been  sown  in  all  sorts  of  inaccessible 
places,  where  the  attempt  to  harvest  would  seem 
to  be  sure  death.  But  harvested  they  still  were; 
and  remarkably  rich  was  the  crop,  and  very 
good  prices  it  brought.  People  who,  the  first 
time  they  saw  it,  would  have  screamed  with 
horror,  became  quite  familiar  with  the  sight  of 
an  impish  little  figure  with  a  red  peaked  cap, 
crawling  like  a  fly  or  skipping  like  a  weasel,  up 
and  down  the  beetling  cliffs  that  held  a  scrap  of 
earth  large  enough  to  produce  a  few  hundred 
barley-stalks  or  a  bag  full  of  clover. 

It  went  down  hill  with  Peer  Langeleik  during 


THE  FEUD    OF   THE    WILDHAYMEN          1 77 

these  years ;  and  if  he  had  not  been  able  to  earn 
a  few  dollars  with  his  fiddle  during  the  winter, 
both  he  and  his  family  would  have  starved  or 
gone  to  the  poor-house.  Many  a  day  they  had  to 
grind  birch-bark  and  mix  it  with  the  bran  out  of 
which  Gudrid  made  porridge  ;  and  many  a  time 
during  the  all-too-brief  summer  they  were  obliged 
to  spend  the  night  walking  up  and  down  along 
their  little  field  of  rye,  dragging  a  rope  over  the 
tops  of  the  grain,  so  as  to  keep  them  in  motion 
and  protect  them  from  the  frost.  If  there  was  a 
wedding  or  a  funeral  at  which  music  was  re 
quired,  it  was  a  godsend  to  them  ;  for  then  they 
could  eat  porridge  without  bark  for  a  week  or 
more  ;  and  sometimes  they  could  even  indulge 
in  salted  herring  and  smoked  goat's  flesh. 

When  little  Peer  was  in  his  fifteenth  year  it 
was  high  time  to  have  him  prepared  for  confirma 
tion  ;  and  it  so  happened  that  little  Ulf  Fanni- 
vold  went  to  the  parson  *  during  the  same  year. 
The  two  lads  looked  askance  at  each  other  from 
the  first,  and  sought  to  avoid  each  other  as 
much  as  possible.  But  the  other  boys,  knowing 
of  the  hostility  between  their  fathers,  could  not 
allow  such  an  opportunity  for  sport  to  pass  un 
noticed.  And  so  they  teased  the  two  wildhay- 

*  It  was  formerly  required  by  law  in  Norway  that  every  child 
should  "go  to  the  parson"  for  about  six  months  and  receive  relig 
ious  instruction,  preparatory  to  the  first  communion. 

12 


178  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

men,  as  they  were  called,  early  and  late,  and 
would  give  them  no  peace  until  they  .had  shown 
their  mettle.  It  would,  indeed,  at  first  blush, 
seem  a  most  unequal  match ;  for  little  Peer 
(though  he  was  yet  named  "  little  "  in  order  to 
distinguish  him  from  his  father,  who  was  "  Big 
Peer  ")  was  really  quite  a  large  boy  for  his  age, 
while  little  Ulf  was,  as  to  size,  exactly  what  his 
name  indicated.  While  Peer  was  blond,  blue- 
eyed,  and  fair-complexioned,  Ulf  was  dark, 
black-eyed,  and  of  swarthy  complexion.  There 
was  a  yellow  pallor  in  his  cheeks,  and  in  his 
glance  something  hidden,  evasive,  and  crafty. 
He  never  looked  you  straight  in  the  face,  as  his 
rival  did  ;  but  his  eager  and  wide-awake  weazel 
eyes  seemed  to  be  lying  in  ambush,  trying  to 
catch  you  at  unawares.  But  for  all  that,  Ulf, 
though  he  was,  perhaps,  distrusted,  was  not 
exactly  disliked  by  his  comrades.  Among  boys 
the  admiration  for  pluck  and  daring  is  apt  to 
outweigh  all  other  considerations ;  and  it  was 
not  to  be  denied  that  there  was  something  about 
this  agile  and  self-contained  little  imp  which  in 
spired  respect.  Peer,  on  the  other  hand,  was 
what  most  boys  are,  at  his  age,  and  seemed  to 
none  of  them  particularly  remarkable.  He 
quarrelled,  fought,  and  made  up  again  ;  dealt 
and  received  honest  blows,  and  bore  no  man 
any  grudge,  if  he  had  thrashed  him  or  been 


THE  FEUD    OF   THE    WILDHAYMEN          179 

thrashed  by  him.  But  somehow  it  seemed  a 
pretty  risky  undertaking  to  thrash  little  Ulf 
(though  on  general  principles  he  might  need  it) ; 
and  every  lad  preferred,  on  the  whole,  to  have 
somebody  else  make  the  first  experiment.  And 
the  boy  who  appeared  to  be  singled  out  by 
general  agreement  for  this  mission  was  little 
Peer. 

It  cannot  be  said  that  Peer  relished  this  dis 
tinction,  or  that  he  was  at  all  eager  for  the  en 
counter.  He  came  to  dread  the  homeward  walk 
from  the  parsonage,  and  would  have  taken  a 
path  over  the  fields  by  himself,  if  he  had  not 
dreaded  still  more  the  derisive  jeers  that  would 
have  followed  him,  and  the  charge  of  cowardice 
which  would  have  clung  to  him,  and  to  rid  him 
self  of  which  he  would  have  been  compelled  to 
fight  whether  he  would  or  not.  Nevertheless, 
the  chances  are  that  he  would  have  succeeded  in 
keeping  neutral,  if  an  incident  had  not  occurred 
which  promptly  brought  matters  to  a  climax. 

Peer  and  Ulf  were,  by  common  consent,  the 
cleverest  pupils  the  parson  had  that  year ;  and 
(as  there  were  no  "  gentlefolks  "  among  the  can 
didates)  it  was  taken  for  granted  that  the  one  or 
the  other  would  have  the  first  place  in  the 
aisle  during  the  public  examination  which  pre 
cedes  the  confirmation  ceremony.  This  is  held 
to  be  a  great  honor  and  reflects  credit,  not 


ISO  NORSELAND   TALES 

only  upon  the  scholar  himself,  but  upon  his 
parents  and  kindred.  It  was  supposed  that  the 
parson  was  inclined  to  give  the  preference  to 
Peer,  whose  open  and  candid  face  and  intelli 
gent  replies  had  greatly  prepossessed  him  in 
his  favor.  But  there  were  not  a  few  among  the 
boys  who  thought  that  Ulf  ran  him  a  close  race, 
and  that  he  was  fully  his  match  as  regards 
scholarship. 

It  was  thus  matters  stood,  one  Saturday  early 
in  April,  when  the  candidates  for  confirmation 
were,  leaving  the  parson's  study.  The  clergy 
man  had  dismissed  the  class,  but  had  detained 
Peer  and  Ulf,  in  order  to  determine  by  a  little 
private  examination  which  of  the  two  was  en 
titled  to  precedence  in  the  aisle  ;  and,  as  it  hap 
pened,  he  had  struck  a  lesson  which  Peer  knew 
better  than  his  rival ;  and  it  seemed  clear  to  Ulf, 
as  he  descended  the  stairs,  that  he  had  been 
beaten.  There  was  an  ugly  gleam  in  his  eyes 
as  he  fixed  them  upon  Peer,  and  he  clenched  his 
fists  in  his  pockets,  while  an  unwonted  flush 
tinged  his  pale  cheeks.  Just  as  he  emerged 
from  the  door  (Peer  being  but  a  few  steps  ahead) 
he  caught  sight  of  a  magnificent  Cochin  China 
cock  which  the  parson,  who  was  a  great  poultry 
fancier,  had  recently  imported  from  Holland. 
Quick  as  a  flash  he  stooped  down,  picked  up  a 
stone — and  the  cock  gave  a  flap  with  his  wings, 


THE  FEUD   OF  THE    WILDHAYMEN         l8l 

and  fell  dead.  Instantly  there  was  a  tremen 
dous  commotion  among  the  hens ;  the  parson 
came  running  out  in  high  dudgeon,  and,  seeing 
the  precious  cock  dead,  he  was  almost  beside  him 
self  with  wrath.  The  two  boys  were  summoned 
back  to  the  study,  where  Ulf  unblushingly  af 
firmed  that  he  had  seen  Peer  throw  the  stone 
that  killed  the  fowl.  Peer,  on  the  other  hand, 
though  he  stoutly  denied  the  charge,  could  not 
declare  that  he  had  seen  Ulf  throw  the  stone ; 
and  the  parson,  who  was  easily  imposed  upon 
by  the  smaller  boy's  innocent  airs  and  plausible 
manner,  while  the  larger  one  blushed  and  stam 
mered,  adjudged  Peer  the  culprit,  and  gave  his 
place  in  the  aisle  to  Ulf. 

The  other  boys,  who  entertained  a  sneaking 
hope  that  a  fight  might  be  arranged,  had  waited 
at  the  bend  of  the  road,  under  the  cemetery 
hill,  in  order  not  to  miss  the  sport.  When  they 
saw  Peer  and  Ulf  walking  as  far  apart  as  the 
width  of  the  highway  would  permit,  they  ran 
to  meet  them  and  began  their  pestiferous  teas 
ing. 

"  Sick  'im,  gypsy ! "  they  cried  to  Ulf. 
"You're  afraid  he'll  lick  you,  aren't  you  ?" 

"  Go  for  him,  Peer  !  "  they  yelled  to  the  latter. 
"  Don't  be  a  milksop  now !  You  show  him 
you've  cut  your  eye-teeth." 

To  the  astonishment  of  all,  Peer  stepped  for- 


1 82  NORSELAND   TALES 

ward,  pulled  off  his  coat,  which  he  flung  by  the 
road-side,  and  said  : 

"  Yes,  I'll  have  it  out  this  time.  I  can  stand 
it  no  longer.  If  you  want  to  fight  me,  Ulf,  I  am 
ready.  We  have  a  long  score  to  settle,  you  and 
I." 

Ulf  heard  the  challenge,  but  he  did  not  im 
mediately  accept  it.  He  stood  for  a  minute  or 
more,  blinking  uneasily  with  his  eyes,  while  the 
mocking  jeers  of  his  comrades  rang  in  his  ears. 
Then,  all  of  a  sudden,  he  tore  off  his  jacket,  and 
before  Peer  had  time  to  turn  about,  he  leaped  at 
his  throat  like  a  panther.  The  attack  was  so 
swift,  so  utterly  unexpected,  that  Peer  tottered 
in  the  collision  and  was  on  the  point  of  falling ; 
but  he  recovered  himself,  and,  grabbing  his  as 
sailant  by  the  shoulders  with  both  his  strong 
fists,  he  gave  him  a  violent  wrench  sidewise, 
which  tingled  through  Ulf's  arms  like  an  elec 
tric  shock.  He  was  forced  to  release  his  clutch, 
and  he  seemed  about  to  be  flung,  head  foremost, 
against  the  stony  road-bed.  But  by  an  unfore 
seen  manoeuvre  he  wedged  his  head  between  his 
opponent's  knees,  and  by  a  marvellous  feat  of 
agility  landed  upon  his  feet.  His  black  eyes 
snapped  and  were  fairly  aglow ;  but  the  light  of 
shrewd  calculation  seemed  yet  to  be  lying  in 
wait  behind  the  apparent  anger,  and,  when  he 
struck  a  blow,  it  was  swift,  sure,  and  effective. 


THE  FEUD    OF  THE    WILDHAYMEN          183 

From  Peer's  vigorous  left-handers,  which  were 
aimed  straight  from  the  shoulder,  and  which 
would  have  demolished  him  if  they  had  hit  him 
squarely,  he  writhed  and  wriggled  away  by  the 
most  surprising  turns  and  dodges  ;  and  it  soon 
became  evident  to  the  spectators,  who  formed  a 
dense  ring  about  the  combatants,  that  dexterity 
counted  for  more  than  strength,  and  that  the 
ability  to  dodge  was  fully  as  valuable  as  the 
ability  to  strike. 

When  ten  minutes  had  passed  Peer  stood, 
half-dazed,  and  fought  blindly,  while  Ulf  was 
yet  in  full  possession  of  his  powers  and  his  cool 
presence  of  mind.  He  drew  back  for  an  instant, 
as  if  to  compose  himself,  and  when  Peer,  grate 
ful  for  the  respite,  relaxed  his  vigilance,  he 
made  a  sudden  vicious  lunge  at  him  which  bore 
him  down,  with  his  foe  on  the  top  of  him.  The 
boys  cheered  wildly  ;  and  some  in  their  enthu 
siasm  lifted  the  victor  on  their  shoulders  and 
carried  him  in  triumph  along  the  road.  But 
three  or  four  remained  with  the  vanquished, 
trying  to  comfort  him  in  his  defeat,  and  offer 
ing  their  services  for  any  future  encounter,  if 
he  should  ever  desire  to  get  even.  But  Peer, 
though  he  felt  moved  by  their  sympathy,  de 
clared  that  he  would  accept  his  defeat  as  final, 
and  would  not  try  to  renew  the  battle. 

"  lie  beat  me  fairly  enough,"  he  said,  "  wheth- 


1 84  NORSELAND   TALES 

er  it  was  by  dodging  or  by  striking.  Each  man 
has  a  right  to  use  whatever  faculties  that  may 
serve  him  best.  It  was  I  who  was  the  chal 
lenger,  and  I  am  served  rightly.  For  all  that,  I 
am  glad  I  did  it.  I  feel  better  for  it." 

It  was  a  very  bitter  disappointment  both  to 
Peer  and  his  parents  that  he  was  at  the  last  mo 
ment  deprived  of  the  first  place  in  the  aisle  ; 
and  still  bitterer  did  it  seem  when  they  saw 
the  black-eyed  little  "  gypsy  "  march  in  at  the 
head  of  the  procession.  The  loss  of  the  rooster 
must  have  affected  the  parson  even  more  than 
he  admitted,  for  Peer  was  not  even  put  number 
two ;  but  was  (as  a  punishment  for  his  supposed 
mendacity)  placed  far  down,  about  the  middle  of 
the  aisle. 

Confirmed  he  was,  however ;  and  he  would 
have  borne  his  grief  bravely  enough,  if  the  an 
cient  feud  between  his  father  and  Big  Ulf  Fanni- 
vold  had  not  blazed  forth  anew,  and  prepared 
him  no  end  of  trouble.  He  was  on  the  lookout 
early  and  late  for  patches  of  "  wild  grass  "  which 
had  no  owner ;  but  regularly,  as  it  grew  tall 
enough  to  cut,  little  Ulf  Fannivold  anticipated 
him,  and  bagged  the  coveted  prize.  Fees  for 
fiddling  were  also  few  and  far  between  now,  and 
dire  want  reigned  in  the  little  cottage  up  under 
the  mountain.  It  was  while  in  the  midst  of 
these  tribulations  that  Peer,  one  day  in  June,  dis- 


THE  FEUD   OF  THE    WILDHAYMEN         185 

covered  a  beautiful  patch  of  grass,  which  grew 
with  long  nodding  tufts  on  a  ledge  of  rock  in  a 
ravine  about  four  miles  from  his  home.  He 
hastened  to  apprise  his  father,  and  early  the 
next  morning  the  two  started  out  together  with 
sickles  and  ropes,  and  reached  the  ravine  while 
the  dew  was  yet  wet  and  the  morning  mist  hung 
over  the  meadows.  Little  Peer  cheerfully  fast 
ened  the  stout  rope  to  the  broad  leather  belt 
which  was  buckled  around  his  waist,  and  was 
about  to  let  himself  down,  when  suddenly  he 
heard  a  chorus  of  wild,  hoarse  screams  from  un 
der  the  brow  of  the  cliff. 

"  It  is  eagles,"  said  his  father,  "  you  had  better 
not  go  down." 

"  But  there  is  a  human  voice,  too,  father. 
Don't  you  hear?  They  have  stolen  a  child." 

In  the  same  instant  there  came  a  heart-rend 
ing  shriek,  as  of  one  in  mortal  distress. 

"  Let  me  down  quick,  father.  Grab  the  rope — 
here !  " 

"  No,  no,  my  son  !  It  isn't  human.  It  is  some 
sort  of  witchcraft  or  deviltry.  Don't  go  down, 
I  beg  of  you,  or  you  may  never  come  up 
again." 

"  Very  well,  if  you  won't  help  me,  I  shall  go 
alone  !  " 

And  with  a  resolute  motion  he  fastened  the 
rope  around  the  stump  of  a  tree,  and,  leaning 


1 86  NO  RS  EL  AND  TALES 

out  over  the  precipice,  lowered  himself  down 
into  the  chasm. 

"  Peer,  little  Peer,"  cried  his  father  after  him, 
"for  God's  sake,  come  back,  come  back  ! " 

But  Little  Peer  was  already  far  down  the 
rocky  wall.  What  he  saw  there  was  enough  to 
curdle  his  blood.  Two  enormous  eagles,  who 
had  their  nest  on  the  shelf  of  the  cliff,  were  at 
tacking  with  beaks  and  claws  some  crouching 
figure  which  lay  on  the  narrow  ledge,  clinging 
with  a  desperate  clutch  to  a  tiny  birch-tree 
which  was  growing  out  of  a  crevice  in  the  ra 
vine.  Swinging  his  sickle  about  his  head,  Peer 
yelled  with  all  his  might  in  order  to  frighten 
the  birds  of  prey.  But  when  he  saw  a  big, 
ugly  crop-heavy  fledgling  in  the  nest  and  one 
blindly  sprawling  on  the  outside,  he  instantly 
took  in  the  situation.  This  foolish  intruder, 
whoever  he  was,  had,  in  the  absence  of  the  old 
birds,  tried  to  rob  the  nest,  and  they  had  unex 
pectedly  returned  to  interfere  with  his  pur 
pose. 

Little  Peer  was  a  brave  lad,  but  his  heart 
quailed  for  an  instant,  when  he  saw  the  bloody 
beaks  and  talons  of  the  huge  winged  creatures, 
and  heard  their  savage  screams  of  wrath  and 
alarm,  as  they  made  onset  after  onset  against  the 
cowering  figure  under  the  birch-tree.  It  was 
plain  that  he  could  not  hold  on  much  longer ;  he 


THE   ROBBING   OF   THE    EAGLE'S    NEST. 


THE  FEUD    OF   THE    WILDHAYMEN          l8/ 

was  bleeding  from  a  dozen  wounds  and  his 
clothes  were  torn  in  tatters. 

"  Hold  on  tight !  Don't  give  up ! "  Peer 
yelled  frantically.  "  I'll  help  you  !  " 

And  swinging  right  in  between  the  two 
eagles,  he  gave  the  nearest  one  a  tremendous 
cut  across  the  wing-bone  with  his  sickle.  The 
royal  bird,  having  expected  no  attack  from  that 
quarter,  wheeled  around,  flapped  its  other  wing, 
made  two  somersaults  in  the  air,  and  with  a 
terrible,  hoarse  screech  tumbled  down  into  the 
abyss.  Then  the  figure  on  the  rock  cautiously 
turned  his  head  to  look  up,  and  Little  Peer 
gazed  into  the  face  of — Ulf  Fannivold. 

The  surprise  was  awful — paralyzing.  He  had 
not  once  thought  of  his  enemy  ;  and  now  his 
first  impulse  was  to  signal  to  his  father  to  pull 
him  up.  The  anger,  the  hatred,  the  sense  of 
outrage,  which  the  mere  mention  of  Ulf's  name 
aroused,  had  been  smouldering  long  in  his  heart 
and  now  blazed  up  with  uncontrollable  fury. 

The  female  eagle  which  yet  remained  had 
apparently  been  waiting  for  the  chance  to 
get  at  the  face  of  the  nest-robber ;  for  the  very 
instant  he  stirred  she  swooped  down  upon  his 
exposed  countenance  and  struck  her  claws  into 
it.  Ulf  gave  a  shriek  so  wild  and  piteous  that  it 
would  have  touched  a  heart  of  a  stone.  And 
Peer's  heart,  which  was  a  very  soft  and  compas- 


1 88  NORSELAND   TALES 

sionate  one,  was  moved  in  its  very  depth.  He 
could  not  afford  to  leave  a  human  creature, 
whether  friend  or  foe,  in  such  a  terrible  plight. 
Striking  out  with  his  sickle,  he  bent  the  top  of 
the  birch  toward  him  and  pulled  himself  down 
on  the  rocky  ledge,  planting  his  feet  within  a 
few  inches  of  the  nest.  The  eagle,  thinking  that 
it  had  to  deal  with  another  nest-robber,  rushed 
furiously  at  him,  beating  with  its  big  wings  and 
scratching  with  its  talons.  If  Peer  had  not 
clutched  the  birch  so  tightly  with  his  left  hand, 
he  would  have  been  knocked  down  and  would 
have  swung  out  into  the  air,  where  the  eagle 
could  have  whirled  him  about,  until  he  grew  too 
dizzy  to  fight.  But  now  he  had  a  fairly  good 
foothold,  and  his  back  was  shielded  by  the  cliff 
against  which  he  was  leaning.  With  his  sharp 
sickle  he  guarded  his  face  and  eyes  right  man 
fully  ;  but  his  clothes  were  torn  into  shreds,  and 
he  felt  the  warm  blood  trickling  down  his  right 
leg,  in  which  the  bird's  claws  had  made  an  ugly 
gash. 

Fully  ten  minutes  the  combat  had  lasted, 
when  he  heard  an  anxious  voice  calling  his 
name  from  above,  and  saw  his  father's  face 
hanging  out  over  the  edge  of  the  precipice. 

"  Don't  pull  up  yet,"  he  cried  ;  "  for  God's 
sake,  don't ! " 

At  that  very  instant,  the   eagle   dashed   for- 


THE  FEUD    OF   THE    WILDHAYMEN          189 

ward  and  made  a  lunge  at  the  arm  which  held 
the  birch -tree.  Quick  as  lightning,  the  boy 
plunged  the  point  of  his  weapon  deep  into  its 
breast.  The  huge  bird  gave  a  long,  plaintive 
croak,  and  tumbled,  with  feebly  flapping  wings, 
down  into  the  dark  ravine. 

Peer,  as  soon  as  he  had  collected  his  senses, 
brushed  the  dirt  and  bloody  feathers  from  his 
face,  and  cautiously  crept  along  the  edge  of  the 
cliff  to  where  his  enemy  was  lying.  He  stooped 
over  him  and  gently  shook  him  by  the  shoulder. 
Ulf  gave  a  groan,  but  did  not  stir.  Once  more 
he  touched  him  ;  but  Ulf  only  buried  his  face 
more  deeply  in  the  grass,  and  moaned. 

"  You  needn't  be  afraid  !  I  don't  want  to  hurt 
you  !  " 

Then,  quivering  like  an  aspen  leaf,  the  wound 
ed  boy  timidly  raised  his  head  ;  but  oh,  the  pity 
of  it !  Peer  had  to  turn  away  from  the  sicken 
ing  sight !  Where  Ulf's  right  eye  had  been, 
there  was  but  a  bloody  hollow.  His  rescuer, 
however,  pulled  himself  quickly  together,  doffed 
his  belt,  and  buckled  it  about  Ulf's  waist.  Then 
he  gave  the  signal  to  his  father,  and  up  went  his 
foe,  slowly,  slowly,  until  he  was  warily  lifted 
over  the  edge  of  the  precipice.  Then  a  loud 
shout  was  heard,  and  the  sound  of  terror  or  of 
impotent  rage.  Peer  was,  indeed,  half  afraid 
that  he  might  see  Ulf  come  spinning  through 


IQO  NORSELAND   TALES 

the  air  and  vanish  among  the  pines  at  the  bot 
tom  of  the  gulch. 

A  few  minutes  sufficed,  however,  to  reassure 
him  on  this  point.  But  the  gash  in  his  leg  now 
began  to  pain  him,  and  his  boot  was  full  of 
blood.  He  felt  a  trifle  light-headed,  and  con 
cluded  it  was  high  time  to  bandage  the  wound. 
The  odor  of  decayed  bones  and  offal  about  the 
eagle's  nest  nauseated  him  ;  but,  as  there  was  no 
other  secure  place  on  the  ledge,  he  had  no 
choice  but  to  sit  down  right  in  the  nest,  having 
first  killed  with  his  sickle  the  remaining  eaglet. 
As  it  would  have  to  starve  without  the  old 
birds,  it  seemed  more  merciful  to  despatch  it 
now.  Tearing  the  lining  out  of  his  waistcoat,  he 
made  a  bandage  which  he  tied  tightly  about  the 
bleeding  wound.  He  had  scarcely  finished  this 
operation,  when  a  strange  faintness  seized  him. 
His  head  was  in  a  whirl.  He  seemed  to  see  the 
rope,  with  the  belt  attached,  dangling  a  couple  of 
feet  beyond  him,  but  he  did  not  dare  rise,  feel 
ing  sure  that  he  would  plunge  straight  into  the 
abyss.  After  awhile  there  were  two  ropes  and 
two  belts,  and  a  queer  sound  of  rushing  wing- 
beats  filled  the  air.  Then  earth  and  sky  flowed 
together,  and  all  things  were  blurred  by  a  lumi 
nous  mist,  through  which  aerial  voices  broke, 
calling  his  name,  with  a  wonderful  echoing  res 
onance. 


THE  FEUD   OF  THE    WILDHAYMEN"         IQI 

He  fancied  he  must  have  slept  for  a  long 
while.  When  he  woke  up  his  father  was  bend 
ing  over  him,  fastening  the  belt  about  his  waist ; 
and  presently  he  felt  himself  rising — rising,  and 
at  last  lifted  bodily  up,  whereupon  a  woman, 
who  seemed  to  be  his  mother,  flung  herself  over 
him,  crying ;  and  hot  tears  dripped  upon  his  face. 
In  a  few  minutes  his  father  was  also  there,  with 
two  strange  men ;  but  Ulf,  whom  he  had  res 
cued,  he  could  discover  nowhere. 

It  was  one  evening  about  three  weeks  after 
the  battle,  that  Peer,  now  fully  restored  to 
health,  was  rambling  over  the  fields  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  his  father's  cottage.  Suddenly  at 
the  edge  of  the  forest,  Little  Ulf,  with  his  right 
eye  bandaged,  stepped  out  of  the  underbrush, 
and  grabbed  him  by  the  hand. 

"  Peer,"  he  said,  huskily,  "  I've  behaved  like  a 
skunk  to  you  ;  and  I  know  it.  I  sha'n't  be  in  your 
way  any  more.  A  one-eyed  chap  ain't  much 
good,  I  reckon,  for  a  wildhayman.  But  I  would 
rather  lose  the  eye  I've  got  left  than  I  would  for 
get  one  thing — that  I  owe  my  life  to  you,  whose 
life  I  did  my  best  to  ruin." 


THE    LITTLE   CHAP 

THE  Little  Chap  had  been  humored  from 
the  time  he  was  born,  but  then  he  was  such 
a  fascinating  Little  Chap  that  nobody  could 
help  humoring  him.  He  was  stubborn,  he  was 
headstrong,  he  was  naughty,  if  you  like  —  the 
Little  Chap  ;  but  in  his  very  naughtiness  there 
was  something  captivating  which  won  your 
heart,  and  played  the  mischief  with  your  dig 
nity.  When  he  stood  before  you  with  his  legs 
far  apart,  his  hands  in  the  pockets  of  his  much- 
patched  trousers,  and  the  magnitude  of  his  de 
fiance  so  out  of  proportion  to  that  of  his  tiny 
body,  you  were  altogether  at  a  disadvantage, 
and  I  am  not  sure  but  that  the  Little  Chap  in 
the  innocent  slyness  of  his  heart  felt  that  you 
were  at  his  mercy.  A  little  patched  cherub 
like  him,  with  tousled  blond  hair  and  an  enor 
mous  sense  of  his  own  importance,  would  have 
been  no  mean  antagonist  to  Hercules  himself; 
and,  what  is  more,  so  secure  was  he  in  the  con 
sciousness  of  his  valor  that  he  would  not  have 
been  afraid  to  tackle  Hercules. 

The  Little  Chap's  father,  Amund  Myra,  was  a 


THE   LITTLE    CHAP  193 

carpenter  by  trade,  and  lived  in  one  of  the  lone 
liest  mountain  valleys  of  Norway.  His  wife, 
Kari,  had  presented  him  with  five  daughters,  be 
fore  it  occurred  to  her  to  present  him  with  a 
son,  and  his  joy  at  the  last  arrival  had  only  been 
equalled  by  his  disappointment  at  the  five  previous 
ones.  The  Little  Chap  took  instant  possession  of 
his  father's  heart,  which  had  been  kept  purpose 
ly  vacant  for  his  reception.  When  the  nurse 
brought  him  on  the  evening  of  his  arrival,  upon 
a  pillow,  and  placed  him  across  Amund's  knees, 
the  carpenter  freely  forgave  his  wife  her  five 
past  delinquencies  in  consideration  of  the  Little 
Chap.  For  this  was  not  the  usual  infantile  vege 
table  that  simply  fed  and  slept.  It  was  a  quaint 
and  sturdy  little  personality,  that  took  in  the 
world,  his  father  included,  with  a  slow,  wonder 
ing  gaze,  and  seemed  to  do  a  vast  deal  of  pro 
found  and  solemn  thinking.  Amund  could  not 
rid  himself  of  the  impression  that  his  son  viewed 
him  rather  critically,  as  if  he  were  debating  with 
himself  whether,  on  the  whole,  he  liked  his  ap 
pearance  and  found  him  a  fairly  satisfactory 
parent.  He  was  very  much  afraid  that  he  did 
not  come  up  to  Little  Chap's  standard ;  he  was 
absurdly  anxious  to  make  as  favorable  an  im 
pression  as  possible.  There  was  something  pe 
culiarly  wise  and  venerable  in  the  Little  Chap's 
aspect  as  he  lay  there  upon  the  pillow. 
13 


NORSE  LAND   TALES 

And  thus  it  happened  that  from  the  hour  of 
his  arrival  the  Little  Chap  came  to  be  regarded 
as  a  person  of  tremendous  consequence.  It  was 
impressed  upon  him  from  the  time  he  lay  in  the 
cradle  that  he  was  a  boy,  and  that  a  boy  was  a  su 
perior  kind  of  creature,  who  had  nothing  except 
certain  accidental  points  of  anatomy  in  common 
with  girls,  which  latter  species  had  been  wisely 
created  by  the  Lord  to  wait  upon  him.  He  was 
not  very  big  before  Amund,  who  could  not  bear 
to  be  separated  from  him,  got  into  the  habit  of 
taking  him  along,  when  he  went  out  into  the  val 
ley  to  do  a  job.  There  the  Little  Chap  would 
sit  proudly  perched  upon  his  father's  shoulder, 
bundled  up  in  scarfs,  and  with  a  fur  cap  that 
was  much  too  big  for  him  pulled  down  over  his 
ears.  He  was  not  a  talkative  child  ;  but  there 
was  a  slow  and  old-fashioned  kind  of  gravity 
about  him  which  made  everything  he  said  in 
finitely  droll.  He  took  himself  very  seriously, 
and  allowed  no  trifling  with  his  dignity.  He 
took  much  satisfaction  in  the  thought  that  he 
was  helping  his  father;  and  Amund  rather  en 
couraged  the  idea,  giving  him  a  hammer  with 
which  he  pounded  nails  into  a  piece  of  board, 
and  occasionally  mashed  his  fingers.  And  all 
day  long,  while  the  carpenter  worked,  whether 
indoors  or  out-of-doors,  the  Little  Chap  bustled 
about  him,  sat  in  the  shavings  whittling  sticks, 


THE  LITTLE   CHAP  195 

or  chipped  the  edge  of  the  plane  by  running  it 
into  the  heads  of  the  nails  which  he  drove  in 
wherever  a  convenient  place  presented  itself. 
But  whatever  mischief  he  got  into,  whatever 
tools  he  ruined,  Amund  regarded  only  as  a 
fair  price  which  he  paid  for  his  company.  And 
never  once  did  he  scold  the  Little  Chap,  but 
gravely  explained  to  him  why  he  must  not  do 
such  and  such  things,  as  if  he  had  been  a  grown 
up  man.  And  the  Little  Chap  would  listen 
gravely,  with  a  quivering  underlip ;  and  when 
the  kindly  homily  was  at  an  end,  he  would  lie 
very  still,  with  his  head  buried  in  the  shavings, 
feeling  terribly  humiliated  at  the  thought  of  his 
delinquency.  The  next  day,  when  Amund 
started  out,  carrying  his  tools  in  a  bag  on  his 
back,  the  Little  Chap  would  meet  him  at  the 
door,  and,  with  a  dubious  and  anxiously  expect 
ant  look,  would  ask, 

"  May  I  help  you  to-day,  dad  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Little  Chap,  you  shall  help  me  to-day," 
Amund  would  answer,  heartily,  as  he  lifted  him 
up  on  his  shoulder.  "  How  could  dad  get  along 
without  his  Little  Chap  ?  " 

Many  a  time,  too,  when  his  comrades  whistled 
for  him  under  the  window,  and  he  was  sorely 
tempted  to  accept  the  invitation  to  join  in  their 
games,  the  thought  would  occur  to  him  that  his 
dad  needed  his  help  ;  and  gravely  he  would  go 


196  NORSELAND   TALES 

to  the  door,  and,  with  a  droll  sense  of  responsi 
bility,  explain  to  them  that  he  had  to  help  his  dad. 

Thus  winters  passed,  and  summers,  until  the 
Little  Chap  was  eight  years  old.  He  tyrannized 
over  his  sisters,  as  usual,  and  accepted  their 
worship  as  nothing  but  his  due.  He  was  a  sore 
trial  to  his  mother  on  account  of  his  stubborn 
ness,  and  because  he  was  "  so  hard  on  his 
clothes."  But  to  his  father  he  was  a  stanch  and 
loyal  friend  ;  I  could  almost  say  an  older  friend, 
for  he  began  early  to  feel  a  kind  of  responsibil 
ity  for  Amund,  and  a  droll  kind  of  protector 
ship.  He  made  him  go  back  and  put  on  his  coat 
when  he  started  out  in  his  shirt-sleeves  in  chilly 
weather  ;  he  would  send  him  back  to  shave,  of  a 
Sunday  morning,  when  he  proposed  to  go  to 
church  with  a  two  days'  beard  ;  and  he  would 
take  his  dad's  part  at  table  when  (as  sometimes 
happened)  the  mother  would  scold  him,  or  makf 
unpleasant  remarks  implying  disrespect. 

"  Mother  always  thinks  that  everybody  can  do 
things  better  than  my  dad,"  he  would  observe 
in  his  slow  drawl,  when  his  dad  had  been  un* 
lucky  enough  to  arouse  his  wife's  displeasure ; 
and  straightway  dad  would  feel  a  little  horny 
paw  under  the  table  groping  for  his  own.  That 
was  his  way  of  consoling  his  dad. 

He  believed  fully  that  his  dad  was  the  wisest, 
the  cleverest,  and  the  best  of  men ;  and  how- 


THE  LITTLE   CHAP  1 97 

ever  unworthy  he  might  feel  himself,  what 
comfort,  what  happiness  it  was  to  this  poor 
overworked  carpenter  to  have  one  creature 
on  earth  who  reposed  this  touchingly  unques 
tioning  trust  in  him  !  What  "  my  dad  "  said, 
that  was  law ;  and  what  "  my  dad "  did  was 
always  admirable ;  and  though  dad  was  con 
scious  of  many  failings,  he  would  not  for  the 
life  of  him  have  the  Little  Chap  suspect  them. 
He  strove  manfully  to  live  up  to  the  Little 
Chap's  idea  of  him.  People  said  he  spoiled  the 
boy  ;  and  the  mother,  particularly,  who  was  a 
trifle  jealous  of  their  intimacy,  declared  that  it 
was  time  the  Little  Chap  was  sent  to  school,  and 
learned  something  besides  whittling  and  cutting 
his  fingers.  This  seemed  so  perfectly  rational 
that,  out  of  consideration  for  the  Little  Chap, 
Amund  was  at  last  persuaded  to  send  him  to 
school.  It  was  of  no  use  that  the  boy  wept,  and 
declared  that  he  wanted  to  be  with  his  dad. 
How  was  his  dad  to  get  on  without  his  help  ? 
What  would  become  of  dad  if  he  did  not  look 
out  for  him?  This  idea  that  he  was  helping 
dad  had  become  so  rooted  in  his  mind  that  he 
harped  upon  it  early  and  late,  and  grieved  him 
self  thin  and  pale  for  fear  that  his  dad  might 
come  to  harm  without  him. 

Somehow,   life   was    no    more    the    same    to 
Amund  after  his  loss  of  the  Little  Chap's  com. 


198  NORSELAND   TALES 

panionship.  There  was  no  joy  any  more  in  his 
work  ;  and  it  seemed,  too,  that  his  luck  had  de 
serted  him.  Once  he  ran  a  file,  the  handle  of 
which  broke,  into  his  hand,  and  another  time  he 
nearly  split  his  kneepan  with  an  adze.  Then  he 
was  laid  up  for  three  weeks.  Provisions  ran 
very  low  in  the  house.  Kari,  his  wife,  began  to 
talk  about  applying  for  help  to  the  guardians  of 
the  poor.  It  was  then  the  plan  matured  in 
Amund's  mind  to  cross  the  ocean  and  begin  life 
afresh  in  the  New  World,  where  a  man  of  his 
skill  certainly  could  accomplish  something  more 
than  to  keep  out  of  the  poorhouse. 

Accordingly,  though  it  nearly  broke  his  heart 
to  part  from  the  Little  Chap,  he  crossed  the  At 
lantic,  promising  to  send  for  the  family  as  soon 
as  he  had  founded  a  home  for  them  in  the  great 
West.  He  begged  hard  to  be  allowed  to  take 
the  Little  Chap  with  him,  but  Kari  would  not 
listen  to  that,  because  to  her  the  Little  Chap  was 
a  kind  of  a  pawn — a  guarantee  that  her  husband 
meant  to  keep  his  word,  and  send  for  her  and 
the  girls  as  soon  as  his  circumstances  warranted. 
Her  conscience  was  not  quite  easy  in  regard  to 
her  treatment  of  him,  and  she  could  afford  to 
take  no  chances. 

Amund  arrived  in  Chicago  at  a  time  when 
skilled  carpenters  were  scarce  and  wages  high. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  building  going  on, 


THE  LITTLE   CHAP  1 99 

and  he  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  work.  He 
was  a  master  in  his  trade,  thoroughly  honorable, 
frugal,  and  industrious.  It  is  not  to  be  denied, 
however,  that  life  is  a  dreary  affair  to  one  who 
"toils  and  toils  from  morning  till  night,  and 
whose  starved  heart  cries  out  every  hour  and 
minute  of  the  day  for  one  who  is  far  away. 
Where  is  the  Little  Chap  now  ?  What  is  the 
Little  Chap  doing  now  ?  How  does  he  look  ? 
Does  he  care  so  much  for  his  dad  as  he  did ;  and 
is  he  as  eager  as  ever  to  help  his  dad  ?  These 
were  Amund's  constant  reflections,  whenever  a 
little  respite  from  labor  afforded  him  a  chance 
to  think.  Sitting  with  his  dinner-pail,  leaning 
against  his  work-bench,  he  would  shut  his  eyes 
and  fancy  he  saw  the  Little  Chap  standing  be 
fore  him,  with  his  grimy  little  fists  in  his  patched 
trousers,  and  his  tousled  yellow  head  a  little  on 
one  side,  as  he  looked  up  into  his  dad's  face  and 
said,  "  How  would  you  ever  get  on  without  me, 
dad  ?  "  Or  he  would  lose  himself  in  the  thought 
of  the  oft-repeated  scene  at  the  dinner-table, 
when  the  little  chap  stood  up  for  his  dad  so 
manfully,  and  the  little  hand,  with  its  sweetly 
comforting  touch,  stole  into  his  under  the  table. 
And  then  the  tears  would  gather  in  his  eyes 
and  roll  slowly  down  his  cheeks,  leaving  a 
grimy  track  like  that  of  a  rain-drop  on  a  dusty 
window-pane. 


2OO  NORSELAND  TALES 

"  My  Little  Chap,  my  dear  Little  Chap,"  he 
would  murmur,  as  he  arose  and  returned  to  his 
toil,  "  when  shall  I  ever  see  you  again  ?  " 

It  was  this  burning  heart-hunger  for  his  boy 
which  made  him  turn  every  penny  many  times 
before  he  could  persuade  himself  to  spend  it. 
He  grew  positively  stingy,  denying  himself  the 
necessary  food  and  clothes,  always  trying  to  do 
with  a  little  less,  in  the  hope  of  hastening  the 
day  when  he  should  be  able  to  send  for  the  Lit 
tle  Chap.  He  worked  surreptitiously  after  time, 
in  order  to  earn  some  extra  pennies,  and  he  got 
the  reputation  among  his  fellow-workmen  of  be 
ing  a  mean,  penurious  skinflint,  who  hoarded  his 
wages  with  a  view  to  becoming  a  boss,  some  day, 
and  lording  it  over  them.  He  was  accordingly 
excessively  unpopular,  and  only  succeeded  in 
escaping  injury  by  keeping  scrupulously  out  of 
everyone's  way,  and  ignoring  insults  which 
made  his  blood  boil.  Fearless  as  he  was,  and 
tremendously  strong,  he  could  have  ground 
his  assailants  to  powder,  and  often  itched  in 
every  nerve  to  show  them  the  stuff  he  was 
made  of.  But  that  would  lead  to  difficulties 
and  expense,  and  retard  the  day  of  the  Little 
Chap's  arrival. 

At  the  end  of  one  year  Amund  had  saved 
$550  from  his  wages;  but  having  no  confidence 
in  the  banks,  he  carried  the  entire  amount  in 


THE  LITTLE   CHAP  2OI 

gold  eagles  in  a  leather  belt  about  his  waist. 
The  consciousness  of  carrying  so  much  money 
made  him,  however,  very  uneasy,  and  disturbed 
his  sleep.  Four  or  five  times  every  night  he 
started  up  in  terror,  having  dreamed  that  his 
money  was  stolen.  It  then  occurred  to  him  that 
the  only  safe  way  to  dispose  of  it  would  be  to 
invest  it  in  a  cottage  and  lot  on  the  West  Side, 
where  land  was  yet  cheap.  Land  could  not  run 
away,  and  a  house  not  even  the  most  daring 
thief  could  steal.  Distrusting  everyone  in  this 
bewilderingly  strange  land,  he  was  in  no  haste 
to  solicit  advice.  But  one  day  an  advertisement 
in  a  Scandinavian  paper  caught  his  eye  and  set 
him  thinking.  It  read  as  follows  : 

"  THE   POOR   MAN'S   FRIEND. 

"The  Fidelity  Real  Estate  Investment  Com 
pany  sell  choice  City  Lots,  improved  and  unim 
proved,  on  the  Instalment  Plan.  West  Side 
Property  a  Specialty." 

Amund  cut  this  out,  read  it  at  least  twenty 
times  a  day,  and  carried  it  in  his  pocket  for 
weeks,  before  he  summoned  courage  to  call  at 
the  address  designated.  But  his  hoard  kept  in 
creasing  week  by  week,  and  his  anxiety  grew 
apace.  Why  should  he  not  call  upon  the  Fidel 
ity  Real  Estate  Investment  Company  ?  It  was 


2O2  NORSELAND   TALES 

the  poor  man's  friend,  the  advertisement  said, 
and  might  offer  him  some  good  advice  as  to  the 
best  way  of  acquiring  a  home  in  the  shortest 
possible  time ;  for  he  was  growing  eagerer 
every  day  for  the  sight  of  the  Little  Chap.  A 
burning  unrest  possessed  him,  a  half-supersti 
tious  fear  lest  something  should  happen  to  pre 
vent  the  ardently  desired  meeting. 

Finally,  one  day  in  the  early  spring,  he  called 
upon  the  Fidelity  Real  Estate  Investment  Com 
pany.  He  had  fancied  from  the  advertisement 
something  very  complicated  and  magnificent,  and 
was  somewhat  disappointed  at  being  confronted 
with  a  sandy-haired  and  very  pimpled  young 
man,  who  sat  in  his  shirt -sleeves  in  a  scantily 
furnished  back  office,  chewing  a  toothpick. 

"  Is  this — the — the — office  of  the  Fidelity  Real 
Estate  Investment  Company  ?  "  queried  Amund, 
respectfully. 

"  Yes,"  the  young  man  replied,  taking  his  feet 
down  from  the  table.  "  What  can  I  do  for 
you  ?  " 

"  I — I — should  like  to  see  the — the — president 
of  the  company,  if — if — you  would  be  so  very 
kind  as  to  call  him,"  Amund  remarked,  apolo 
getically. 

"  I  regret  to  say  the  president  is  out  of  town 
at  present,"  said  the  plausible  youth  ;  "  but  won't 
you  sit  down,  please  ?  I  think,  perhaps,  I  can 


THE  LITTLE   CHAP  2O3 

give  you  all  the  information  you  require  ;  and  I 
need  not  say  I  shall  be  very  happy  if  I  can  be  of 
service  to  you." 

There  was  something  so  insinuating  in  the 
young  fellow's  manner  that  Amund,  though  he 
had  resolved  to  be  very  cautious,  soon  found 
himself  talking  freely  with  him. 

The  next  day  the  young  man — Farley  was  his 
name — dropped  in  upon  him,  by  pure  chance,  it 
seemed,  while  he  was  having  his  noon  rest ;  and 
they  became  better  acquainted.  The  following 
Sunday  they  met  again  ;  and  Farley  took  Amund 
about  in  a  buggy,  and  showed  him  all  the  prop 
erty  he  had  for  sale  on  the  West  Side.  He  in 
vited  him  to  lunch  with  him  in  his  little  cottage 
on  West  Indiana  Street,  where  he  was  living ; 
and  the  upshot  of  many  interviews  and  conver 
sations  was  that  he  offered  to  sell  this  cottage, 
with  lot,  to  Amund  for  $2,000,  possession  to  be 
granted  when  $1,200  had  been  paid,  and  a  mort 
gage  to  be  given  for  the  remaining  amount.  It 
seemed  all  so  perfectly  fair  and  square  that 
Amund,  after  having  got  the  price  down  to 
$1,800  and  the  furniture  thrown  in,  had  no  hesi 
tation  in  closing  the  bargain.  He  paid  over  to 
Farley  the  $800  which  he  had  then  accumulated, 
and  received  an  acknowledgment  of  the  amount 
from  him,  with  promise  of  deed  on  payment  of 
$400  more. 


2O4  NORSELAND  TALES 

Then  he  picked  out  the  room  which  was  to  be 
long  to  the  Little  Chap  ;  and  all  day  long,  during 
his  work,  he  hummed  to  himself  or  broke  into 
snatches  of  unmelodious  song  at  the  thought  of 
the  Little  Chap's  pleasure  in  that  room,  and  the 
furniture  which  he  would  make  with  his  own 
hands  for  the  Little  Chap's  comfort.  He  worked 
with  a  will  now,  and  would  scarcely  grant  him 
self  time  for  sleep  ;  for  every  blow  of  his  ham 
mer  and  every  whiz  of  his  saw  brought  the  Lit 
tle  Chap  nearer. 

Then  another  year  passed.  Month  by  month 
Amund  handed  over  his  savings  to  Farley,  who 
pocketed  them  in  a  cool,  business-like  manner; 
arid  at  last,  when  the  $1,200  had  been  paid,  he 
kept  his  word,  and  gave  a  deed  of  the  property 
to  the  carpenter.  Joyously  then  Amund  wrote 
to  his  wife,  telling  her  to  make  no  delay  in  com 
ing,  for  he  had  now  a  home  of  his  own  in  which 
to  receive  her  and  the  children.  And  it  was  all 
furnished,  and  there  was  a  separate  room  for  the 
Little  Chap — God  bless  him  ! — where  he  could 
keep  all  his  funny  little  traps,  so  that  his  sisters 
wouldn't  annoy  him.  Much  he  wrote  in  this 
strain,  for  his  heart  was  overbrimming  with  joy, 
and  life  seemed  brighter  and  more  beautiful  to 
him  than  ever  before.  The  only  thing  that 
troubled  him  a  little  was  the  fact  that  the  family 
who  lived  in  the  house  had  not  yet  moved  out. 


THE  LITTLE    CHAP  2O$ 

But  Farley  explained  that  their  lease  did  not  ex 
pire  until  April  ist,  and  that,  in  the  meanwhile,  he 
would  have  to  be  patient.  On  April  2d  they 
would  be  gone,  and  then  he  could  take  posses 
sion. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  the  meeting 
between  the  Little  Chap  and  his  dad.  It  was 
just  the  2d  of  April  when  the  family  arrived  in 
Chicago,  and  were  put,  like  so  much  baggage, 
into  an  express  wagon  and  driven  to  West  Indi 
ana  Street.  Amund  ran  up  the  front  steps  with 
the  Little  Chap  in  his  arms  to  show  off  his  cot 
tage  ;  and  the  wife  and  the  five  girls,  all  bundled 
up  with  scarfs  and  kerchiefs  until  they  looked 
like  walking  hay-stacks,  scrambled  out  of  the 
wagon  as  best  they  could.  Farley  had.  prom 
ised  to  be  there  with  the  keys,  and  formally 
put  the  new  owner  in  possession.  It  annoyed 
Amund  a  good  deal  when  his  first  and  second 
ring  at  the  door-bell  remained  unanswered,  and 
still  more  annoyed  was  he  when,  at  the  third,  a 
man  who  bore  not  the  least  resemblance  to  Far 
ley  opened  the  door  and  asked  him,  in  language 
more  vigorous  than  polite,  what  he  wanted. 

"  I — I  have  bought  this  house,"  Amund  said, 
with  an  air  of  righteous  indignation,  "  and  I  was 
told  by  Mr.  Farley  that  you  were  to  move  out 
on  the  ist  of  April." 

The  occupant  of  the  house  smiled  an  extreme- 


2O6  NORSELAND   TALES 

ly  unpleasant  smile,  and  asked,  coldly,  "  Whom 
did  you  buy  it  of  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Farley." 

"  That  is  a  great  pity,  for  he  never  owned  it." 

"  But  where  is  he?  He  promised  me  the  keys 
last  night." 

"  He  has  gone  West." 

"  Gone  West?"  An  icy  terror  clutched  at  the 
Norseman's  heart,  and  he  reeled  backward  as  if 
he  had  been  struck.  "  Good  God  !  "  he  groaned, 
sinking  down  upon  the  steps.  "  Good  God !  " 

The  Little  Chap,  seeing  his  distress,  wound  his 
arms  tightly  about  his  neck  and  rubbed  his  cheek 
against  his  face.  He  sat  thus  for  five  or  ten 
minutes,  while  the  five  blond  bundled-up  girls 
stood  on  the  sidewalk,  staring  at  him  with  inno 
cent  stupidity.  Then  the  man  of  the  house  re 
appeared,  and  ordered  them  in  harsh  language 
to  move  on.  And  when  they  only  continued  to 
stare  in  uncomprehending  wonder,  two  police 
men  were  sent  for,  and  the  whole  family  were 
huddled  into  a  patrol  wagon  and  driven  to  the 
nearest  police  station.  There  Amund,  under  the 
stress  of  answering  the  required  questions,  was 
aroused  sufficiently  from  his  dumb  misery  to 
send  for  a  Norwegian  lawyer,  who  presently 
made  his  appearance.  He  listened  to  the  car 
penter's  story,  and  then  shook  his  head  mourn 
fully. 


THE  LITTLE    CHAP  2O/ 

"  You  have  been  swindled,  my  friend,"  he  said. 
"  You  ought  to  have  been  more  cautious." 

"  But — but,  lawyer,"  the  poor  fellow  went  on, 
gazing  into  his  face  with  an  anguished  expect 
ancy,  "  he — he — sold  me — the  house — and  here 
I've  got  the  papers.  It's  all  right,  surely.  Ain't 
it,  lawyer?" 

The  lawyer  looked  at  the  paper  which  was 
handed  him,  and  then  dropped  it  contemptuous 
ly  on  the  floor. 

"  A  very  clumsy  trick,"  he  said. 

"  But — but — he  couldn't  surely  sell  me — what 
— what  didn't  belong  to  him,  lawyer  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  could,  if  anyone  was  fool  enough  to 
buy." 

"  But,  lawyer — I  say,  lawyer — do  you  mean  to 
say  now,  that — that  I  have  worked  and  slaved 
nigh  on  to  three  years,  and  often  starved  and 
skimped  myself  for  the  Little  Chap's  sake — do 
you  mean  to  say  that — that  man  is  to  have  it,  and 
not  my  Little  Chap  ?  " 

Beads  of  cold  perspiration  burst  out  upon  his 
brow,  and  the  pained  wonder  and  stunned  be 
wilderment  in  his  face  were  pitiful  to  behold. 
His  slow  wits  could  not  yet  grasp  the  situation, 
and  he  was  obviously  hoping  against  hope  that 
there  was  some  terrible  misunderstanding  at  the 
bottom  of  it  all,  and  that  sooner  or  later  it  would 
be  cleared  up. 


2O8  NORSELAND  TALES 

The  lawyer  had  in  all  his  practice  never  en 
countered  so  heart-rending  a  case.  He  weighed 
his  words  well  before  he  answered  : 

"  My  dear  friend,  you  have  paid  dearly  for 
your  first  experience  in  the  New  World." 

Amund,  taking  in  slowly  the  bearings  of  this 
remark,  stood  staring  before  him  with  a  vacant 
look  of  dawning  terror;  then  tremblingly  he 
raised  his  hands  toward  the  ceiling,  and  cried : 
"Oh,  God,  what  shall  I  do?  What  shall  I 
do?" 

There  was  a  hush  as  of  death  in  the  station- 
room.  In  the  presence  of  so  monstrous  a  wrong 
every  one  stood  helpless,  and  a  little  awed. 
After  the  terrible  explosion  of  despair  Amund's 
head  drooped  upon  his  breast,  his  knees  tottered, 
and  he  fell  in  a  heap  upon  the  floor. 

The  Little  Chap,  who  had  stood  with  his  hands 
in  his  pockets,  a  puzzled  frown  upon  his  face, 
during  this  strange  scene,  grew  suddenly  alarmed 
as  his  father  fell.  He  strove  bravely  to  dis 
guise  his  distress,  which  he  held  to  be  unmanly  ; 
but  his  lips  quivered  and  his  eyes  were  full  of 
tears. 

"  Dad,"  he  said,  stooping  over  the  prostrate 
form  of  his  father  with  a  touching  air  of  loving 
protectorship — "  Dad,  I  wouldn't  take  on  so  if  I 
was  you."  He  waited  anxiously  for  a  response, 
and  when  none  came,  he  continued,  in  a  sooth- 


THE  LITTLE    CHAP  2OQ 

ingly  comforting  tone :  "  Dad,  dear  dad,  don't 
you  worry.  I'll  help  you,  dad." 

The  sweet,  old,  well  -  remembered  phrase 
aroused  the  stricken  man  from  his  despair.  He 
raised  himself  suddenly  on  his  knees,  stared  with 
a  wakening  wonder  at  the  child  ;  then,  closing 
him  in  his  arms,  he  burst  into  tears. 

"  Yes,  my  Little  Chap,"  he  cried,  "  you  will 
help  me.  And  may  God  forgive  me  for  despair 
ing  as  long  as  I  have  you !  " 

And  he  rose  with  the  Little  Chap  in  his  arms, 
and  the  two  began  bravely  the  battle  of  life 
anew. 


THE  SUN'S  SISTERS* 

THERE  was  once  a  young  Prince  who  had  no 
playmates  except  a  peasant  lad  named  Lars. 
The  King,  of  course,  did  not  like  to  have  his  son 
play  with  such  a  common  boy  ;  but  as  there 
were  no  princes  or  kings  in  the  neighborhood, 
he  had  no  choice  but  to  put  up  with  Lars.  One 
day  the  Prince  and  Lars  were  shooting  at 
marks  together.  Lars  hit  the  bull's-eye  again 
and  again,  while  the  Prince's  arrows  flew  rattling 
among  the  tree-trunks,  and  sometimes  did  not 
even  hit  the  target.  Then  he  grew  angry  and 
called  Lars  a  lout  and  a  clod-hopper.  Lars  did 
not  mind  that  much,  for  he  knew  that  princes 
were  petted  and  spoiled,  and  could  not  bear  to 
be  crossed. 

"  Now,  Prince,"  he  said,  "  let  us  shoot  up  into 
the  air  and  see  who  can  shoot  the  highest." 

The  Prince,  who  had  a  beautiful  gilt  bow  and 
polished  silver-tipped  arrows,  had  no  doubt  but 
that  he  could  shoot  much  higher  than  Lars, 

*  The  central  theme  of  this  story  is  borrowed  from  a  fairy  tale, 
told  to  Prof.  J.  A.  Fries,  by  the  Lapps  in  Tanen. — H.  H.  B. 


THE  SUN'S  SISTERS  211 

whose  bow  was  a  juniper  branch  which  he  had 
himself  cut  and  cured.  So  he  accepted  the  offer. 

"  Let  us  aim  at  the  sun,"  he  cried,  gayly. 

"  All  right,"  shouted  Lars ;  and  at  the  same 
moment  they  let  fly  two  arrows,  which  cleft  the 
air  with  a  whiz  and  vanished  among  the  fleecy 
clouds. 

The  boys  stood  looking  up  into  the  sun- 
steeped  air  until  their  eyes  ached  ;  and  after  a 
moment  or  two,  the  Prince's  arrow  fell  at  his 
side,  and  he  picked  it  up.  Nearly  fifteen  min 
utes  elapsed  before  Lars's  arrow  returned,  and 
when  he  picked  it  up,  he  was  astonished  to  find 
a  drop  of  blood  on  the  tip  of  it,  to  which  clung  a 
dazzlingly  beautiful  golden  feather. 

"  Why— look  at  that !  "  cried  the  boy,  with 
delight.  "  Isn't  it  wonderful  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  it  is  mine,"  replied  the  Prince  ;  "  it 
was  my  arrow." 

"  It  was  no  such  thing,"  said  Lars ;  "  I  made 
the  arrow  myself  and  ought  to  know  it.  Yours 
are  silver-tipped  and  polished." 

"  I  tell  you  it  is  my  arrow,"  cried  the  Prince, 
in  great  anger  ;  "  and  if  you  don't  give  me  the 
feather,  it  will  go  ill  with  you." 

Now,  Lars  would  have  been  quite  willing  to 
part  with  the  feather,  if  the  Prince  had  asked 
him  for  it,  but  he  was  a  high-spirited  lad,  and 
would  not  consent  to  be  bullied. 


212  NORSELAND   TALES 

"  You  know  as  well  as  I  do  that  the  arrow 
is  mine,"  he  said,  scowling ;  "  and  the  feather  is 
mine,  too,  and  I  won't  give  it  to  anybody." 

The  Prince  said  nothing  ;  but,  pale  with  rage, 
he  hurried  back  to  the  castle  and  told  his  father, 
the  King,  that  his  arrow  had  brought  down  a 
beautiful  golden  feather  and  that  Lars  had  taken 
it  from  him. 

Now,  if  you  have  any  acquaintance  with 
kings,  you  may  perhaps  imagine  how  the  old 
gentleman  felt,  when  he  heard  that  his  son  and 
heir  had  been  thus  wronged.  It  was  to  no  pur 
pose  that  Lars  showed  him  the  drop  of  blood  on 
the  rude  whittled  arrow  ;  he  insisted  that  the 
feather  was  the  Prince's,  and  that  Lars  was  a 
thief  and  a  robber.  But  Lars  was  not  to  be 
frightened  even  by  that.  He  stuck  to  his  story 
and  refused  to  give  up  the  feather. 

"  Well,  then,"  said  the  King,  with  a  wicked 
grin,  "  we'll  say  that  it  is  yours.  But  in  that 
case  you  must  be  prepared  to  prove  it.  When 
you  bring  me  the  golden  hen  from  whose  tail 
this  feather  has  been  shot,  then  I'll  admit  that 
it  is  yours.  But  if  you  fail,  you  will  be  burned 
alive  in  a  barrel  of  tar." 

Now,  to  be  burned  alive  in  a  barrel  of  tar  is 
not  a  pleasant  thing ;  and  Lars,  when  he  heard 
that  such  a  fate  was  in  store  for  him,  wished  he 
had  never  seen  the  golden  feather.  But  it 


THE   SUN'S  SISTERS  21$ 

would  be  disgraceful  to  back  down  now  ;  so  he 
accepted  the  terms,  stuffed  into  his  luncheon-bag 
a  leg  of  smoked  mutton  and  a  dozen  loaves  of 
bread,  which  the  cook  at  the  castle  gave  him, 
and  started  on  his  journey.  But  the  question 
now  arose,  where  should  he  go  ?  Golden  hens 
were  not  such  every-day  affairs  that  he  might 
expect  to  find  them  in  any  barn-yard.  And 
barn-yard  hens,  moreover,  were  not  in  the  habit 
of  flying  aloft;  and  the  golden  feather  had  come 
down  to  him  from  some  high  region  of  the  air. 
He  became  heavy-hearted  when  he  thought  of 
these  things,  and  imagined,  whenever  he  saw  a 
farmer  burning  stumps  and  rubbish  at  the  road 
side,  that  it  was  the  barrel  of  tar  in  which  he 
was  to  end  his  days.  For  all  that,  he  kept 
trudging  on,  and  when  evening  came,  he  found 
himself  on  the  outskirts  of  a  great  forest.  Be 
ing  very  tired,  he  put  his  luncheon-bag  under 
his  head,  and  soon  fell  asleep.  But  he  had  not 
been  sleeping  long,  when  he  was  waked  up  by 
somebody  trying  to  pull  the  bag  away  from 
under  him.  He  raised  himself  on  his  elbow, 
rubbed  his  eyes,  and  to  his  astonishment  saw  a 
big  fox  sitting  on  his  haunches  and  staring 
at  him.  "Where  are  you  going?"  asked  the 
fox. 

"  I   wasn't  going  anywhere,"  said   Lars.     "  I 
was  sleeping." 


214  NORSELAND   TALES 

"  Well,  I  am  aware  of  that,"  observed  Rey 
nard  ;  "  but  when  you  are  not  sleeping,  where 
are  you  then  going  ?  " 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  Lars,  "  the  fact  is,  I  am  in  a 
bad  scrape.  I  have  got  to  find  the  golden  hen 
that  has  lost  a  tail-feather." 

And  he  told  the  fox  his  story. 

"  Hm,"  said  the  fox ;  "  that  is  pretty  bad. 
Let  me  look  at  the  feather." 

The  boy  pulled  out  the  feather  from  his  inside 
vest  pocket,  where  he  kept  it  carefully  wrapped 
up  in  birch-bark. 

"  Ah,"  said  Reynard,  when  he  had  examined 
it;  "you  know  I  have  a  large  acquaintance 
among  hens.  In  fact,  I  am  very  fond  of  them. 
I  shouldn't  wonder  if  I  might  help  you  find  the 
one  which  has  lost  this  feather." 

Lars,  who  had  been  quite  down  in  the  mouth 
at  the  prospect  of  the  barrel  of  tar,  was  delight 
ed  to  hear  that. 

"  I  wish  you  would  bear  me  company,"  said 
he.  "  If  you'll  do  me  a  good  turn,  I'll  do  you 
another." 

The  fox  thought  that  was  a  fair  bargain ;  and 
so  they  shook  hands  on  it,  and  off  they  started 
together. 

"  Do  you  know  where  we  are  going  ?  "  asked 
Reynard,  after  a  while. 

"  No,"  said  Lars  ;  "  but  I  supposed  you  did." 


REYNARD    OFFERS    HIMSELF    AS   A  TRAVELING    COMPANION. 


THE  SUN'S  SISTERS  21$ 

"  I  do.  We  are  going  to  the  Sun's  Sister.* 
She  has  three  golden  hens.  It  was  one  of  those 
you  hit  with  your  arrow." 

"  But  will  she  be  willing  to  part  with  any  of 
them  ?  "  asked  the  boy. 

"  Leave  that  to  me,"  answered  Reynard  ;  "  you 
know  I  have  had  some  experience  with  hens." 

Day  after  day  they  walked  up  one  hill  and 
down  another  until  they  came  to  the  castle  of 
the  Sun.  It  was  a  gorgeous  castle,  shining  with 
silver  and  gold  and  precious  stones.  The  boy's 
eyes  ached  when  he  looked  at  it.  Even  the 
smoke  that  curled  up  into  the  still  air  from 
the  chimneys  was  radiant  like  clouds  at  sun 
set. 

"  That's  a  nice  place,"  said  Lars. 

"  So  it  is,"  said  Reynard.  "  It  is  best,  I  think, 
to  have  me  sneak  into  the  poultry-yard,  where 
the  three  golden  hens  are,  and  then  I'll  bring 
out  the  one  that  has  lost  its  tail-feather." 

Lars  somehow  didn't  like  that  plan.  He 
didn't  quite  trust  Reynard  in  the  matter  of 
hens ;  he  knew  the  fox  had  a  natural  weakness 
for  poultry ;  but,  of  course,  he  was  too  polite  to 
say  so. 

"  No,  Reynard,"  he  began,  blushing  and  hesi 
tating  ;  "  I  am  really  afraid  you  might  come  to 
harm.  And  you  might  make  too  much  of  a 

*  The  Lappish  words  Baeivas  oabba  mean  "  the  Dawn." 


2l6  NORSELAND  TALES 

racket,  you  know,  setting  the  whole  poultry-yard 
in  commotion." 

"  Well,  then,  you  go  yourself,"  said  Reynard, 
somewhat  offended  ;  "  but  take  heed  of  this  warn 
ing.  Look  neither  to  the  right  nor  to  the  left, 
and  go  straight  to  the  poultry-yard,  seize  the 
hen  that  has  lost  one  of  the  three  long  tail- 
feathers,  and  then  hasten  out  as  quick  as  you 
can." 

Lars  promised  that  he  would  obey  in  all  par 
ticulars.  The  gate  was  wide  open ;  the  sentries, 
who  stood  dozing  in  their  boxes,  did  not  seem  to 
mind  him  as  he  entered.  It  was  high  noon  ;  the 
watch-dogs  slept  in  their  kennels,  and  a  noonday 
drowsiness  hung  over  the  whole  dazzling  palace. 
So  the  boy  went  straight  to  the  poultry-yard,  as 
he  had  been  directed,  spied  the  three  golden 
hens,  the  splendor  of  which  nearly  blinded  him, 
grabbed  the  one  of  them  that  had  lost  a  tail- 
feather,  and  started  again  in  hot  haste  for  the 
gate.  But  as  he  passed  by  the  wing  of  the  pal 
ace  he  noticed  a  window,  the  shutters  of  which 
were  ajar.  A  great  curiosity  to  see  what  was 
behind  these  shutters  took  possession  of  him. 
"  It  would  be  a  pity  to  leave  this  beautiful  place 
without  looking  about  a  little,"  he  thought ;  "  I 
can  easily  catch  that  hen  again  if  I  let  her  go 
now,  for  she  is  as  tame  as  a  house-chicken." 

So  he  let  the  hen  go,  opened  the  shutter,  and 


THE  SUN'S  SISTERS  217 

peeped  into  the  room.  And  what  do  you  think 
he  saw  ?  Well,  he  could  scarcely  have  told  you 
himself,  for  he  was  so  completely  overwhelmed 
that  he  stood  gazing  stupidly,  like  a  cow  at  a 
painted  barn-door.  But  beautiful — oh,  beauti 
ful,  beyond  all  conception,  was  that  which  he 
saw.  That  was  the  reason  he  stood  speechless, 
with  open  mouth  and  staring  eyes.  Of  course, 
now  you  can  guess  what  it  was.  It  was  none 
other  than  the  Sister  of  the  Sun.  She  was  lying 
upon  her  bed,  sleeping  sweetly,  like  a  child  that 
is  taking  an  after-dinner  nap.  Goodness  and 
kindness  were  shining  from  her  features,  and 
Lars  was  filled  with  such  ineffable  joy  at  the 
mere  sight  of  her  that  he  forgot  all  about  the 
hen  and  the  barrel  of  tar,  and  his  playmate  the 
Prince,  and  the  fox's  warning.  He  did  not  know 
that  this  was  her  great  charm — every  one  who 
looked  upon  her  was  instantly  filled  with  glad 
ness  unspeakable.  Sorrow,  and  care,  and  malice, 
and  hatred  instantly  fled  from  the  heart  of  every 
one  who  came  into  her  presence.  No  wonder 
Lars  couldn't  think  of  hens,  when  he  had  so 
lovely  a  creature  to  look  upon.  For  several 
minutes  he  stood  at  the  window,  lost  in  the 
rapturous  sight.  Then  stealthily,  and  without 
thinking  of  what  he  was  doing,  he  climbed  over 
the  window-sill,  and  step  by  step  drew  nearer. 
"  Oh,  how  beautiful !  how  beautiful !  how  beau- 


2l8  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

tiful ! "  he  whispered,  with  bated  breath.  "  Oh,  I 
must  kiss  her  before  I  go,  or  I  shall  never  have 
peace  so  long  as  I  live." 

And  down  he  stooped  and  kissed  the  Sun's 
Sister.  You  would  have  supposed  now  that  she 
would  have  wakened.  But,  no !  She  lay  per 
fectly  still ;  her  bosom  heaved  gently,  and  the 
red  blood  went  meandering  busily  under  her 
soft,  transparent  skin,  and  her  dazzling  hair  bil 
lowed  in  a  golden  stream  over  the  silken  pillow, 
and  down  upon  the  floor.  Lars  would  have 
been  content  to  spend  all  his  life  gazing  at  her. 
But  a  strange  uneasiness  came  over  him — his 
errand,  the  golden  hen,  the  barrel  of  tar,  and  all 
the  rest  of  it  came  back  to  his  memory  slowly, 
as  if  emerging  from  a  golden  mist,  and,  with  a 
sudden  determination,  he  covered  his  eyes  with 
his  hands,  jumped  out  of  the  window,  and  started 
again  in  search  of  the  hen.  But,  somehow,  the 
whole  world  had  now  a  different  look  to  him. 
Everything  had  changed,  and  the  golden  hen, 
too.  When  he  tried  to  catch  her,  this  time,  she 
flapped  with  her  wings,  gave  a  hoarse  shriek, 
and  ran  as  fast  as  she  could.  Lars  plunged 
ahead,  reaching  out  with  both  his  hands  to  catch 
her,  but  she  slipped  from  his  grasp,  and  yelled 
and  screamed  worse  than  ever.  Instantly  her 
two  companions  set  up  a  sympathetic  cackle, 
and  in  another  minute  the  entire  poultry-yard — 


THE  SUN'S  SISTERS  219 

geese,  ducks,  peacocks,  and  hens  —  joined  the 
chorus,  making  an  ear-splitting  racket,  the  like 
of  which  had  scarcely  been  heard  since  the 
world  was  made.  The  Sun's  Sister,  aroused  by 
this  terrible  commotion,  rubbed  her  beautiful 
eyes,  and  started  in  alarm  for  the  poultry-yard. 
The  dogs  came  rushing  out  of  their  kennels, 
barking  furiously  ;  the  sentries  who  had  been 
dozing  at  the  gates  drew  their  swords  and  flour 
ished  them  savagely,  and  everybody  in  the  whole 
castle  was  astir. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  ?  "  asked  the  Sun's 
Sister,  when  she  saw  the  boy  chasing  her  favor 
ite  golden  hen. 

"  Oh,  well,"  said  Lars,  feeling  rather  bashful ; 
"  I  was  only  amusing  myself." 

"  Well,"  said  the  Sun's  Sister,  gently  (for  she 
was  as  good  as  she  was  beautiful),  "you  can't 
amuse  yourself  catching  my  hens  unless — un 
less " 

"  Unless  what  ?  "  asked  Lars. 

"  Unless  "  (and  here  the  face  of  the  Sun's  Sis 
ter  grew  very  sad),  "  unless  you  can  rescue  my 
sister  Afterglow  *  from  the  Trolds,  who  carried 
her  off  far  behind  the  western  mountains,  many 
years  ago." 

*  The  Lappish  word  means  "the  Evening  Red" — the  flush  that 
follows  the  sunset — as  Baeivas  oabba  is  literally  "the  Morning 
Red." 


22O  NORSELAND   TALES 

Lars  scarcely  knew  what  to  answer  to  that; 
he  would  have  liked  to  consult  his  friend  Rey 
nard  before  saying  anything-.  But  the  Sun's 
Sister  looked  so  beautiful  that  he  had  not  the 
heart  to  say  her  nay,  and  so  he  rashly  promised. 
Then  he  took  his  leave  reluctantly,  and  the  mo 
ment  he  was  outside  the  gate  and  could  no  more 
see  the  radiant  face,  his  heart  seemed  ready  to 
break  with  longing  and  sadness. 

"  Well,  didn't  I  tell  you  you  would  get  into 
mischief?"  said  Reynard,  when  he  heard  the 
story  of  Lars's  exploits.  "  So  now  we  shall  have 
to  rescue  this  Afterglow  too.  Well,  that'll  be  no 
easy  matter ;  and  if  you  can't  behave  any  better 
than  you  have  done  to-day,  then  there's  really 
no  use  in  our  attempting  it." 

Lars  had  to  coax  and  beg  for  a  full  hour,  and 
promise  that  his  behavior  should  be  the  very 
pink  of  propriety  and  discretion,  if  Reynard 
would  only  forgive  him  and  help  him  in  his  next 
enterprise.  Reynard  held  out  long,  but  at  last 
he  took  pity  on  Lars  and  gave  his  consent. 

Day  after  day,  and  night  after  night,  they  trav 
elled  toward  the  far  mountains  in  the  west,  and 
at  last  arrived  at  the  castle  of  the  Trolds. 

"  Now,"  said  the  fox,  "  I  shall  go  in  alone,  and 
when  I  have  induced  the  girl  to  follow  me,  1 
shall  hand  her  over  to  you,  and  then  you  must 
rush  away  with  her  as  fast  as  you  can  ;  and  leave 


THE  SUN'S  SISTERS  221 

me  to  detain  the  Trolds  by  my  tricks,  until  you 
are  so  far  away  that  they  cannot  overtake  you." 

Lars  thought  that  was  a  capital  plan,  and  sta 
tioned  himself  outside  the  gate,  while  the  fox 
slipped  in.  It  was  early  in  the  evening,  and  it  was 
almost  dark  ;  but  there  shot  up  a  red  blaze  of  light 
from  all  the  windows  of  the  castle  of  the  Trolds. 
Reynard,  who  had  been  there  many  a  time  be 
fore,  and  was  an  old  acquaintance  of  the  Trolds, 
soon  perceived  that  something  unusual  was  going 
on.  So  far  as  he  could  see  they  were  having  a 
ball ;  and  the  Trolds  were  all  taking  turns  at 
dancing  with  Afterglow — for  she  was  the  only 
girl  in  the  whole  company.  When  they  saw  the 
fox  one  of  them  cried  out : 

"  Hallo,  old  Reynard,  you  have  always  been 
a  light-footed  fellow.  Won't  you  come  in  and 
have  a  dance  ?  " 

"  Thanks,"  said  Reynard, "  I  am  never  loath  to 
dance." 

And  he  placed  his  paw  upon  his  breast  and 
made  his  bow  to  Afterglow,  who  was  darker 
than  her  sister  Dawn,  and  more  serious,  but 
scarcely  less  beautiful.  She  filled  the  heart  of 
everyone  who  looked  upon  her,  not  with  buoy 
ant  joy  and  hope,  but  meditation  and  gentle  sad 
ness.  She  was  sad  herself,  too,  because  she 
hated  the  ugly  Trolds  who  held  her  in  captivity, 
and  longed  to  go  back  to  the  beautiful  palace 


222  NORSELAND   TALES 

of  her  brother,  the  Sun.  So  when  Reynard 
asked  her  to  dance,  she  scarcely  looked  at  him, 
but  with  a  wearied  listlessness  allowed  him  to 
put  his  arm  about  her  waist  and  swing  her 
about  to  the  measure  of  the  music.  And  Rey 
nard  was  a  fine  dancer.  Swiftly  and  more  swift 
ly  he  gyrated  about,  and  every  time  he  passed  a 
candle  he  managed  to  whisk  it  out  with  his  tail. 
One — two — three!  —  before  anybody  knew  it,  it 
was  pitch-dark  in  the  hall ;  and  before  the  Trolds 
had  recovered  from  their  astonishment,  Rey 
nard  had  danced  out  through  the  door  into  the 
hall,  from  the  hall  into  the  court-yard,  and  from 
the  court-yard  into  the  open  field,  outside  the 
gate. 

"  Lars,"  he  cried  to  the  boy,  "  here  is  After 
glow.  Now  take  her  and  hurry  away  as  fast  as 
you  can." 

Lars  did  not  have  to  be  told  that  twice  ;  but, 
taking  Afterglow  by  the  hand,  ran  as  fast  as  his 
feet  could  carry  him. 

Reynard  instantly  slipped  in  again  and  pre 
tended  to  help  the  Trolds  to  light  the  candles. 
But  it  took  him  a  long  time  to  strike  fire  with 
the  flint,  because  the  tinder  was  damp  ;  and  if  the 
Trolds  had  not  been  so  stupid,  they  would  have 
seen  that  the  fox  was  making  them  trouble  instead 
of  helping  them.  After  a  long  while,  however, 
they  succeeded  in  getting  the  candles  lighted, 


THE  SUN'S  SISTERS  22$ 

and  then  they  perceived  that  Afterglow  was 
gone. 

"  Where  is  Afterglow  ?  Where  is  After 
glow  ?  "  they  all  roared  in  chorus,  and  some  of 
them  wept  with  anger,  while  others  tore  their 
beards  and  hair  with  rage. 

"  Oh,  you  sly  old  fox,  it  is  you  who  have  let 
her  escape,"  shouted  one  great,  fat,  furious 
Trold,  "  but  you  shall  suffer  for  it.  Just  let  me 
get  hold  of  you,  and  you  sha'n't  have  another 
chance  to  play  tricks  again." 

Instantly  they  all  made  a  rush  for  Reynard, 
yelling  and  weeping,  and  stamping  and  threaten 
ing.  But  Reynard,  as  you  know,  is  no  easy  cus 
tomer  to  catch ;  and  the  Trolds  were  no  match 
for  him  in  running.  He  led  them  a  dance  over 
fields,  and  moors,  and  mountains,  keeping  just  in 
front  of  them,  so  that  they  always  supposed  they 
were  on  the  point  of  catching  him,  but  yet  elud 
ing  them  by  his  agility  and  unexpected  turns 
and  leaps.  He  took  good  care  to  lay  his  course 
in  the  direction  opposite  to  that  which  Lars  and 
Afterglow  had  taken  ;  and  thus,  the  farther  the 
Trolds  ran,  the  slighter  were  their  chances  of  re 
covering  her.  After  a  while,  however,  Reynard 
grew  tired  of  this  game,  and  then  he  remem 
bered  that  there  was  a  big  swamp  near  by,  and 
thither  he  hastened.  But  while  he  sprang  lightly 
from  hillock  to  hillock,  the  heavy  Trolds  in  their 


224  NORSELAND  TALES 

wrath  plunged  ahead,  and  before  they  knew  it, 
they  sank  down  in  the  marsh  up  to  their  very 
waists.  The  more  they  struggled  to  get  out,  the 
deeper  they  settled  in  the  mud  ;  and  a  chorus  of 
angry  roars  and  shouts  and  hoarse  yells  rose 
from  the  floundering  company  in  that  swamp 
and  swept  across  the  sky  like  a  fierce,  discord 
ant  storm.  But  shouting  did  not  do  them  any 
good.  The  night  passed,  and  when  the  Dawn 
flushed  the  east,  the  fox,  sitting  on  his  hillock, 
called  out : 

"  Look,  there  comes  the  Sun's  Sister." 

The  Trolds,  supposing  it  was  Afterglow, 
turned  with  one  accord  toward  the  east,  and  in 
stantly,  as  the  first  rays  of  the  Dawn  struck 
them,  they  turned  into  stone.  For  the  Trolds 
only  go  abroad  in  the  night,  and  cannot  endure 
the  rays  of  the  Sun.  And  the  huge  stones, 
vaguely  retaining  their  shapes,  can  yet  be  seen 
in  the  marsh  in  Lapland  where  they  perished. 

Now,  Reynard  lost  no  time  in  seeking  Lars 
and  Afterglow,  and  toward  evening  he  found 
their  tracks,  and  before  morning  came  he  had 
overtaken  them.  When  they  arrived  at  the  cas 
tle  of  the  Sun  they  were  received  with  great  de 
light,  and  Dawn  and  Afterglow,  after  their  long 
separation,  kissed  and  embraced  each  other,  and 
wept  with  joy. 

Now  Lars  was  at  liberty  to  take  the  golden 


THE  SUJV'S  SISTERS  22$ 

hen  and  depart  for  the  King's  castle  ;  but  the 
f  trouble  with  him  now  was  that  he  did  not 
want  to  depart.  He  could  not  tear  himself 
away  from  Dawn's  radiant  presence,  but  sat  as 
one  bewitched,  staring  into  her  lovely  face. 
And  so  it  came  to  pass  that  they  were  engaged, 
and  Lars  promised  to  come  back  and  marry  her, 
as  soon  as  he  had  made  his  peace  with  his  mas 
ter  the  King,  and  presented  him  with  the  golden 
hen.  Now,  that  seemed  to  Dawn  a  nice  arrange 
ment,  and  she  let  him  depart.  Lars  invited  his 
good  friend  Reynard  to  bear  him  company,  but 
when  they  came  to  the  place  of  their  first  meet 
ing  Reynard  refused  to  go  any  farther.  So  Lars 
fell  upon  his  neck,  thanked  him  for  his  good  ser 
vice,  and  they  embraced  and  kissed  each  other. 
The  King  received  Lars  pretty  well,  and  was 
delighted  to  get  the  golden  hen.  But  when  he 
heard  about  the  Sun's  Sister,  whom  no  one 
could  look  upon  without  being  filled  with  glad 
ness,  his  brow  became  clouded,  and  it  was  easy 
to  see  that  he  was  much  displeased.  So  he  told 
Lars  that,  unless  he  brought  the  Sun's  Sister  in 
stantly  to  the  court  and  gave  her  as  a  bride  to 
the  young  Prince,  he  would  have  to  be  burned 
in  the  barrel  of  tar  after  all.  Now,  that  was  the 
most  unpleasant  thing  Lars  had  heard  for  a  good 
while,  and  he  wished  he  could  have  had  the 
counsel  of  his  good  friend  Reynard  ;  for  other- 
is 


226  NORSELAND   TALES 

wise  he  saw  no  way  out  of  the  scrape.  Then  it 
occurred  to  him  that  the  Sun  had  two  sisters, 
and  that  possibly  he  might  induce  Afterglow  to 
marry  the  Prince.  He  made  haste  accordingly 
to  be  off  on  his  journey,  and  when  he  saw  the 
tar-barrels  being  made  ready  on  the  hill-top 
behind  the  castle,  he  vowed  that,  unless  he  was 
successful  in  his  errand,  he  would  be  in  no  haste 
to  come  back  again.  When  he  arrived  at  the 
palace  of  the  Sun,  Dawn  was  overjoyed  to  see 
him.  But  when  he  told  his  story  and  mentioned, 
in  passing,  the  tar-barrel,  then  she  was  not  quite 
so  well  pleased.  However,  she  went  to  consult 
Afterglow  ;  and  Afterglow,  after  her  experience 
with  the  ugly  Trolds,  was  not  at  all  averse  to 
marrying  a  handsome  young  Prince.  So  she 
rode  away  on  a  splendid  charger  with  Lars,  and 
the  Prince,  when  he  heard  she  was  coming,  rode 
out  to  meet  her,  and  even  the  old  King  himself 
vowed  that  he  had  never  seen  anyone  so  beau 
tiful.  He  grew  so  gentle,  and  courteous,  and 
affectionate  as  he  looked  at  her,  that  he  forgot 
all  about  his  threats  ;  and  when  Afterglow  asked 
him  what  that  great  pile  of  tar-barrels  was  for, 
he  felt  quite  ashamed  of  himself,  and  answered  : 
"  Oh,  I  was  going  to  burn  a  wretch  there  ; 
but  as  I  suppose  you  don't  like  the  smell  of 
burnt  wretch  on  your  wedding-day,  I'll  give 
orders  to  have  it  removed." 


THE   SUN'S  SISTERS  22/ 

The  next  day  the  wedding  was  celebrated 
with  great  magnificence  ;  and  the  feasting  and 
the  dancing  and  rejoicing  lasted  for  an  entire 
week.  When  it  was  all  over,  Lars  asked  the 
King's  permission  to  go  on  a  long  journey.  He 
had  no  fear  of  a  refusal,  for  the  King  had  be 
come  so  nice  and  gentle,  since  his  daughter-in- 
law  came  into  the  family,  that  even  his  best 
friends  scarcely  recognized  him.  So  he  readily 
granted  Lars's  request.  With  a  light  heart  and 
bounding  steps  Lars  went  eastward,  day  after 
day,  and  night  after  night,  until  he  came  to  the 
palace  of  the  Sun.  And  there  he  celebrated  his 
wedding  with  Dawn,  and  lived  in  joy  ineffable 
in  her  sweet  presence,  until  the  end  of  his  days. 
If  he  is  not  dead,  he  is  probably  living  there  yet. 


LITTLE  ALVILDA  * 

THERE  was  once  a  clergyman  who  lived  some 
where  in  the  interior  mountain  valleys  of  Nor 
way.  He  had  five  children,  all  of  whom  were 
dear  to  him  ;  but  there  was  one  among  them 
who  was  nearer  to  his  heart  than  all  the  rest ; 
and  that  was  a  little  girl,  five  years  old,  named 
Alvilda.  It  may  have  been  because  she  was  the 
youngest  of  the  five ;  for  the  youngest  child, 
especially  if  it  is  a  girl,  is  always  likely  to  be 
the  father's  pet ;  or  it  may  have  been  be 
cause  she  was  a  very  sweet  and  lovable  child, 
who  drew  all  hearts  toward  her  as  the  sun  draws 
the  flowers.  When  her  mother  took  her  to 
church  on  Sunday  morning,  she  slipped  like  a 
sunbeam  among  the  sombre  congregation,  and  all 
faces  brightened  and  a  softer  look  stole  into  the 
eyes  of  old  and  young,  when  she  passed  by.  In 
her  quaint  little  poke-bonnet  and  her  old-fash- 

*  This  story,  or  rather  the  principal  incident  in  it,  I  heard  as  a 
child,  and  have  an  impression  that  it  is  found  in  one  of  the  Norweg 
ian  school-readers.  I  do  not  remember  who  is  its  author,  if  I  ever 
knew  ;  but  it  is  known  to  every  Norwegian  boy  and  girl,  and  is  re 
garded  as  a  kind  of  classic  by  the  Norse  childhood. 


LITTLE  ALVILDA 

ioned  gown,  and  with  her  chubby  little  hands 
folded  over  her  mother's  hymn-book,  she  did,  in 
deed,  look  so  bewitching  that  it  seemed  a  hard 
ship  not  to  stop  and  kiss  her.  "  Bless  the  child," 
said  the  matrons,  with  heartfelt  unction,  when 
her  bright  smile  beamed  upon  them.  "  Bless  her 
dear  little  heart,"  ejaculated  the  young  girls  ad 
miringly,  as  they  knelt  down  in  the  road  to  pat 
Alvilda,  to  kiss  her,  or  only  to  touch  her  in  pass 
ing. 

When  Alvilda's  fifth  birthday  came  it  hap 
pened  to  be  right  in  the  middle  of  the  berry  sea 
son  ;  and  it  was  determined  to  celebrate  it  by 
a  berrying  party  to  which  a  dozen  children  of 
the  neighborhood  were  invited.  Fritz,  Alvilda's 
fourteen-year-old  brother,  whom  she  abjectly  ad 
mired,  magnanimously  undertook  the  duty  of 
sending  out  the  invitations  ;  and  he  consulted  his 
own  sovereign  fancy  in  inviting  those  whom  he 
liked  and  leaving  out  those  who  had  had  the  mis 
fortune  to  incur  his  displeasure.  It  was  found, 
when  all  the  children  gathered  in  front  of  the  par 
sonage,  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  that  it 
was  indeed  Fritz's  party  rather  than  Alvilda's. 
But  Alvilda,  who  always  thought  that  whatever 
Fritz  did  was  well  done,  was  perfectly  content. 
She  liked  big  boys,  she  said,  because  they  were 
not  half  the  trouble  that  little  girls  were.  First 
there  was  her  brother  Charles,  twelve  years  old, 


23O  NORSELAND   TALES 

who  was  the  proud  possessor  of  a  drum  which 
had  been  presented  to  him  at  Christmas ;  the 
judge's  Albert,  thirteen  years  old,  who  was,  to  be 
sure,  a  great  tease,  and  inclined  to  run  off  with 
Fritz  on  all  sorts  of  mysterious  errands  ;  and  there 
was  the  lawyer's  Frederick,  who  never  spoke  to 
girls  in  public  for  fear  of  being  thought  frivo 
lous.  Of  girls  there  were  but  two :  Sophy,  Al- 
vilda's  fifteen-year-old  sister,  who  was  almost 
grown  up,  and  carried  a  novel  in  her  pocket 
which  she  read  at  odd  moments  in  the  garden, 
in  the  kitchen,  and,  most  of  all,  in  the  woods  ; 
and  Albert's  sister,  Ingeborg,  who  had  so 
many  delightful  secrets  which  she  would  never 
share  with  anybody  except  her  bosom  friend 
Sophy. 

Fritz,  who  had  provided  himself  with  a  tin 
trumpet,  marshalled  his  forces  in  the  yard,  and, 
having  arranged  them  in  rank  and  file  like  sol 
diers,  gave  the  command,  "  Forward,  march  ! " 

The  girls  followed  as  best  they  could,  the 
two  elder  ones  leading  Alvilda  by  the  hand  be 
tween  them.  The  father,  who  was  reluctant  to 
send  her  into  the  woods,  fearing  that  she  might 
become  overtired,  charged  them  not  to  leave 
her  for  a  moment,  and  to  see  that  she  had  an  op 
portunity  to  rest  whenever  she  wished — all  of 
which  Sophy  and  Ingeborg  promised. 

The  weather  was  glorious  ;  the  sunshine  was 


LITTLE  ALVILDA 

just  warm  enough  to  be  agreeable,  and  the  light 
clouds  which  sailed  over  the  blue  vault  of  the 
sky  seemed  to  be  having  a  happy  time  of  it. 
The  woods  which  grew  in  the  rugged  glens,  on 
the  slope  of  the  mountain,  were  filled  with  the 
fragrance  of  birch  and  pine  and  lilies  of  the  val 
ley  ;  and  the  brooks,  swollen  by  the  melting  ice 
of  the  glaciers,  danced  gayly  down  through  the 
ravines,  with  a  constant  gurgling  rush  which 
fell  pleasantly  upon  the  ear. 

When  the  boys  left  the  highway  for  the  moun 
tain-plains,  they  broke  ranks,  and  each  scram 
bled  up  the  rocks  as  best  he  could.  It  was  in 
vain  that  Fritz  blew  his  trumpet  and  Charles 
beat  his  drum.  To  climb  the  great  moss-grown 
rocks  was  too  inviting  ;  and  to  stand  on  the  top 
of  them  and  shout  against  the  mountain  wall, 
which  gave  such  a  splendid  echo,  was  a  delight 
which  made  the  heart  leap  in  one's  bosom. 
Fritz  himself  was  not  proof  against  such  temp 
tations,  and  finding  his  commands  ignored,  he 
gracefully  surrendered  his  dignity  and  joined 
with  a  will  in  the  sports  of  the  rest.  There 
were  squirrels  to  be  stoned — not  a  very  nice 
sport,  I  admit — and  later  Fritz  was  ashamed  of 
having  engaged  in  it.  But  there  was  much  of 
the  savage  about  him,  when  he  found  himself  in 
the  woods,  and  he  made  it  a  point  to  act  out  the 
character  and  suppress  whatever  gentle  emo- 


232  NORSELAND  TALES 

tions  may  have  stirred  in  his  bosom.  Happily, 
the  squirrels  were  too  nimble  and  alert  for  the 
boys,  and  sat  chattering  at  them  from  the  upper 
branches  of  the  pines,  where  the  stones,  if  they 
reached  at  all,  went  wildly  amiss.  They  then 
found  a  toad,  and  would,  I  fear,  have  pitched  it 
skyward  from  the  end  of  a  board,  if  the  girls 
had  not  caught  up  with  them  ;  and  Alvilda,  in 
consideration  of  its  being  her  birthday,  was  per 
mitted  to  save  the  condemned  miscreant.  For 
these  boys,  whoever  and  whatever  they  were, 
were  never  themselves.  They  were  by  turns 
robbers,  pirates,  mediaeval  knights,  Norse  vik 
ings,  everything  under  the  sun  they  could  think 
of,  except  nice,  country  boys — sons,  respectively, 
of  a  lawyer,  a  judge,  and  a  clergyman.  A  toad, 
in  their  hands,  became  a  captured  merchant,  or 
an  enchanted  princess,  or  a  thief  condemned  to 
death,  as  the  case  might  be.  But  it  never,  by 
any  possibility,  remained  a  toad. 

When  they  had  climbed  for  an  hour,  Alvilda 
began  to  grow  tired ;  and  Fritz,  seeing  that 
there  was  no  likelihood  of  reaching  the  enchant 
ed  territory  he  had  in  view  without  carrying 
her,  undertook,  with  the  aid  of  his  comrades,  to 
make  a  litter  of  soft  pine  branches  which  was 
quite  comfortable  to  repose  upon.  The  boys 
then  took  turns  carrying  Alvilda,  addressing  her 
all  the  while  as  the  Princess  Kunigunde,  who 


LITTLE  ALVILDA  233 

was  betrothed  to  the  King  of  Andalusia,  and 
was  now  being  borne  by  her  faithful  knights  to 
meet  her  royal  bridegroom.  Alvilda  laughed 
heartily  at  their  deferential  speeches ;  a'nd  her 
clear  voice  rang  through  the  woods,  startling 
now  a  covey  of  partridges  which  broke  with  a 
frightened  hum  through  the  underbrush,  now 
a  hare  which  scooted  away  with  long  leaps 
over  the  heather,  now  a  wild  duck  which,  with 
a  great  flapping  of  wings,  darted  away  in  a 
straight  line  over  the  water,  leaving  its  young 
in  the  lurch  among  the  sedges.  But,  although 
she  found  it  ridiculous,  Alvilda  enjoyed  im 
mensely  being  a  princess  and  having  her  devot 
ed  knights  kiss  her  hand  and  bend  their  knees, 
when  they  spoke  to  her. 

It  was  about  eleven  o'clock  when  the  party 
reached  Fritz's  berrying-grounds,  which  he  had 
discovered  a  few  days  ago,  when  on  an  expedi 
tion  with  Albert  in  search  of  adventures.  It 
was  just  then  toward  the  end  of  the  strawberry 
season  and  the  beginning  of  the  blueberry  sea 
son.  The  sweet  wild  strawberry,  than  which 
there  is  nothing  more  delicious  under  the  sun, 
betrayed  itself  by  its  fragrance  under  the  heath 
er,  and  when  the  boys  found  an  open  patch, 
about  the  roots  of  a  tree,  where  the  berries  grew 
in  big  bunches,  they  shouted  aloud  and  danced 
an  Indian  war-dance  from  excess  of  joy,  before 


234  NORSELAND  TALES 

beginning  to  fill  their  mouths,  their  pails,  and 
their  baskets.  Fritz  and  Albert,  who  were  the 
champion  pickers,  had  soon  filled  the  tin  pails 
they  had  brought  with  them,  and  set  to  work 
with  great  despatch  to  make  baskets  of  birch- 
bark  wherewith  to  carry  off  their  surplus.  There 
were  the  great  blueberry  fields  still  to  be  rav 
aged  ;  and  it  seemed  a  pity  not  to  pick  some  of 
the  fragrant  sweet-brier  and  lilies  of  the  valley 
that  grew  so  abundantly  among  the  birches  and 
alders.  Sophy  and  Ingeborg  went  into  ecstasy 
over  the  nodding  clusters  of  pretty,  bell-shaped 
flowers  which,  in  Norway,  grow  wild  in  the 
woods ;  and  they  picked  their  aprons  full,  again 
and  again,  emptying  them  into  one  of  Fritz's 
birch-bark  baskets.  Of  maiden-hair,  too,  and  the 
delicate  little  wood-stars,  there  was  no  lack ;  and 
in  the  open  glades  they  found  some  belated  vio 
lets  with  a  shy  little  ghost  of  a  perfume  that 
stole  into  one's  nostrils  as  a  kind  thought  steals 
into  the  heart. 

Fritz  and  his  manly  comrades  protested,  of 
course,  against  this  "  tomfoolery  "  with  the  flow 
ers  ;  but  as  some  indulgence  must  be  granted  to 
the  foibles  of  girls,  they  consented  to  assist  in 
the  undignified  task.  A  big  heap  of  variegated 
color — pink,  white,  blue,  and  green — was  piled 
up  under  a  large,  wide-spreading  pine,  where 
Alvilda  sat,  like  a  fairy  queen,  glorying  in  her 


LITTLE  ALVILDA  235 

perishable  treasures.  It  was  then  Fritz  lost  his 
patience,  and  demanded  to  know  whether  it  was 
not  time  now  to  stop  this  nonsense  and  go  in 
quest  of  something'  worth  wearying  one's  limbs 
for.  As  he  had  brought  fishing  tackle  and  bait, 
he  would  propose  a  little  fishing  expedition  on  a 
tarn,  close  by,  and  if  the  girls  didn't  care  to  ac 
company  him,  he  would  go  alone  with  his  trusty 
friends,  Robin  Hood  and  the  Gray  Friar,  and 
catch  enough  to  provide  luncheon  for  the  whole 
army.  This  proposition  was  too  tempting  to  be 
resisted,  and  presently  all  the  boys  scampered 
away  through  the  underbrush,  leaving  the  three 
girls  under  the  pine-tree.  Sophy  spread  a  shawl 
upon  the  ground  for  Alvilda  to  lie  down  upon  ; 
and  herself  drew  a  favorite  novel  from  her  pock 
et,  which  she  discussed  in  whispers  with  Inge- 
borg.  There  were,  indeed,  the  most  delightful 
things  in  this  book :  dreadful,  black-hearted  vil 
lains,  with  black  mustaches,  who  prowled  about 
in  all  sorts  of  disguises  and  lay  in  wait  for  un 
suspecting  innocence  ;  splendid,  high  -  spirited 
heroes,  with  blonde  mustaches  and  nodding 
white  plumes  on  their  helmets,  who  rescued 
guileless  innocence  from  the  wiles  of  the  vil 
lains,  and  subsequently  married  it — and  no  end 
of  glorious  things  besides.  Sophy  soon  lost 
all  thought  of  her  sister  during  this  absorbing 
discussion,  and  Alvilda,  finding  herself  neglect- 


236  NORSELAND   TALES 

ed,  pouted  a  little  and  dozed  away  into  a  sweet 
sleep. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  boys  were  having  great 
fun  down  on  the  tarn  ;  and  being  seized  with  a 
ravenous  appetite,  as  their  usual  hour  for  lunch 
eon  passed,  they  resolved  to  have  a  little  im 
promptu  feast  all  by  themselves  before  return 
ing  to  the  girls.  They  had  caught  a  dozen  fine 
trout  and  no  end  of  perch,  and  their  mouths 
watered  to  test  the  flavor  of  the  former  on  the 
spot.  They  accordingly  built  an  improvised 
stove  of  flat  stones,  made  a  fire  in  it,  split  the 
fish,  and  broiled  them  over  the  flame. 

The  trout  in  particular  proved  to  have  a  su 
perb  flavor,  and  Fritz,  as  a  generous  and  mag 
nanimous  freebooter,  was  dispensing  the  hospi 
tality  of  the  woods  with  a  royal  hand.  He  for 
got  all  about  his  dear  little  sister  in  whose  honor 
he  was  feasting,  and  he  forgot,  too,  that  he  had 
promised  to  return  in  half  an  hour  with  his 
catch  of  fish.  Sophy  and  Ingeborg,  having  ex 
hausted  the  delights  of  the  novel,  began  to 
grow  hungry ;  and  when  an  hour  had  passed, 
they  became  impatient  and,  at  last,  angry. 
They  could  hear  Fritz's  shouts  of  laughter  in 
the  distance,  and  they  began  to  suspect  that  the 
boys  were  lunching  without  them.  Now  and 
then  the  blare  of  a  trumpet  was  vaguely  audible, 
and  the  rumble  of  Charles's  drum. 


LITTLE  ALVILDA  237 

"  I  really  think,  Ingeborg,"  said  Sophy,  "  that 
those  wretched  boys  have  forgotten  all  about 
us." 

"  I  never  could  understand  why  boys  were 
created,"  observed  Ingeborg. 

"  Well,  anyway,  I  am  hungry,"  ejaculated 
Sophy. 

"  And  I  am  ravenous ! — that  is,  I  am  not  averse 
to  something  to  eat,"  echoed  her  friend. 

"  Suppose  we  go  and  find  those  graceless 
scamps,"  suggested  Sophy. 

"  Very  well ;  but  what  shall  we  do  with  Al- 
vilda?" 

Alvilda — to  be  sure — what  were  they  to  do 
with  her  ?  Sophy  felt  a  little  pang  of  guilt,  as 
her  eyes  fell  upon  the  sweet,  chubby  face  of  her 
sleeping  sister. 

"  She  is  sleeping  so  soundly.  It  would  be  a 
pity  to  wake  her  up,"  she  remarked,  doubtfully. 
"  What  do  you  say  ?  " 

"  Why,  nothing  can  happen  to  her  here,"  said 
Ingeborg ;  "  we  shall  only  be  gone  fifteen  min 
utes,  you  know,  and  then  we  shall  be  back  with 
the  boys." 

"  But  suppose  there  were  bears  about  here ; 
then  it  might  be  dangerous  to  leave  her !  " 

"  Yes,  and  suppose  there  were  lions — and — 
crocodiles,"  laughed  Ingeborg. 

This  sally  disposed  of  Sophy's  scruples ;  and 


238  NORSELAND   TALES 

having  thrown  a  jacket  over  Alvilda's  feet  and 
kissed  her  on  the  cheek,  she  flung  one  arm  about 
her  friend's  waist  and  wandered  away  with  her 
in  the  direction  from  which  the  boys'  laughter 
was  heard.  It  was  not  difficult  to  find  those 
young  gentlemen,  for  they  were  engaged  in  a 
lively  wrangle  as  to  which  was  the  rightful 
owner  of  the  surplus  quantity  of  fish  which  they 
could  not  devour.  Fritz  maintained  that  he,  as 
the  chieftain,  had  a  just  claim  to  the  proceeds 
of  the  labor  of  his  vassals  and  slaves,  and  the 
vassals  and  slaves  loudly  rebelled  and  declared 
that  they  would  never  submit  to  such  injustice  ; 
whereupon  the  chieftain  magnanimously  declared 
that  he  would  renounce  his  rights  and  surrender 
the  booty  to  be  divided  by  lot  among  his  men- 
at-arms.  It  was  at  this  interesting  point  that  the 
girls  appeared  upon  the  scene,  and  the  gallant 
freebooters  dropped  their  quarrel  and  undertook, 
somewhat  shamefacedly,  to  wait  upon  their  fair 
guests.  And  as  the  fair  guests  had  rather  un 
fashionable  appetites,  after  their  long  fast  and 
vigorous  exercise,  the  fifteen  minutes  became 
half  an  hour,  and  the  half-hour  began  to  round 
itself  out  to  a  whole  hour,  before  their  con 
sciences  smote  them  and  they  thought  of  Al- 
vilda  who  was  asleep  under  the  big  pine-tree. 

And  now  let  us  see  what  befell  little  Alvilda. 
She  slept  quietly  for  about  twenty  minutes  after 


LITTLE  ALVILDA 

her  sister  left  her ;  and  she  would  have  slept 
longer  if  something  very  extraordinary  had  not 
happened.  She  was  dreaming  that  the  big  mas- 
tiff,  Hector,  at  home  in  the  parsonage,  was  in- 
sisting  upon  kissing  her,  and  she  was  struggling 
to  get  away  from  his  cold,  wet  nose,  but  could 
not.  A  strange,  wild  odor  was  filling  the  air, 
and  it  penetrated  into  Alvilda's  dream  and 
made  her  toss  uneasily.  There  was  Hector 
again,  with  his  cold,  wet  nose,  and  he  was  blow 
ing  his  warm  breath  into  her  face.  She  tried 
to  scold  him,  but  not  a  sound  could  she  pro 
duce.  In  her  annoyance  she  struck  out  with 
her  hand  and  hit  something  warm  and  furry. 
But  here  consciousness  broke  through  the  filmy 
webs  of  slumber  ;  she  opened  her  eyes  wide  and 
raised  herself  on  her  elbow.  There  stood  Hec 
tor,  indeed,  and  stared  straight  into  her  eyes. 
But  how  big  he  was !  And  how  his  ears  had 
shrunk  and  his  fur  grown  !  Alvilda  rubbed  her 
eyes  to  make  sure  that  she  was  awake.  She 
stared  once  more  with  a  dim  apprehension,  and 
saw — yes,  there  could  be  no  doubt  of  it — she 
saw  that  it  was  not  Hector.  It  was  an  enor 
mous,  big  brown  beast,  that  stood  snuffing  at 
her ;  it  was,  perhaps,  even  a  dangerous  beast, 
which  might  take  it  into  its  head  to  hurt  her. 
It  was — yes,  now  she  was  quite  sure  of  it — it 
was  a  big  brown  bear ! 


240  NORSELAND   TALES 

The  little  girl's  first  impulse  was  to  cry  out 
for  help.  But  it  was  so  strangely  still  about 
her.  Where  were  her  brothers  and  sister,  Fritz 
and  his  freebooters,  Sophy  and  her  friend  Inge- 
borg  ?  It  could  not  be  possible  that  they  had 
left  her  alone  here  in  the  forest.  She  threw 
frightened  glances  about  her ;  but  wherever  she 
looked  she  saw  nothing  but  the  long,  solemn 
colonnades  of  brown  pine  trunks.  And  there, 
right  in  front  of  her,  stood  the  bear,  staring  at 
her  with  his  small  black  eyes.  It  occurred  to 
her,  even  in  her  fright,  that  she  must  try  to 
make  friends  with  this  bear,  in  which  case,  per 
haps,  he  might  consent  not  to  eat  her.  She 
knew  from  her  fairy-tales  that  there  were  good 
bears  and  bad  bears,  and  she  devoutly  hoped 
that  her  new  acquaintance  might  prove  to  be 
long  to  the  order  of  good  bears.  So,  with  a 
quaking  heart  and  a  voice  that  shook,  she  arose, 
and  putting  her  hand  on  the  bear's  neck,  she 
exclaimed,  with  coaxing  friendliness :  "  I  know 
you  very  well,  Mr.  Bear,  but  you  don't  know 
me.  I  know  you  from  my  picture-book.  You 
are  the  good  bear  who  carried  the  Princess  on 
your  back,  away  from  the  Trold's  castle." 

The  bear  was  apparently  not  displeased  to 
know  that  he  had  made  so  favorable  an  impres 
sion,  though  he  wished  to  make  it  plain  that  he 
couldn't  be  bamboozled  by  flattery.  For  he 


LITTLE  ALVILDA  24 1 

shook  'his  great  shaggy  head  and  gave  a  low, 
good-naturpd  grumble.  And  just  at  that  mo 
ment  he  caught  sight  of  the  big  basket  of  straw 
berries  that  stood  under  the  tree.  And  turning 
toward  it,  he  slowly  lifted  his  right  fore-paw, 
and,  putting  it  straight  into  the  basket,  deliber 
ately  upset  it. 

"  Why,  Bear,  what  have  you  been  doing  ?  " 
cried  Alvilda,  half  forgetting  her  fear.  "  Why, 
don't  you  know  those  are  Fritz's  berries? — and 
he  will  be  so  angry  when  he  gets  back.  For 
Fritz,  you  know,  is  quite  high-tempered.  Now, 
if  you'll  eat  my  berries,  you  may  have  them, 
and  welcome ;  but,  dear  Mr.  Bear,  do  let  Fritz's 
alone." 

It  may  be  surmised  that  the  bear  was  not 
greatly  moved  by  this  argument.  He  calmly 
went  on  eating  Fritz's  berries,  which  were  scat 
tered  all  over  the  ground,  and  grumbled  now 
and  then  contentedly,  as  if  to  say  that  he  found 
the  flavor  of  the  berries  excellent.  He  paid  no 
attention  whatever  to  Alvilda's  own  little  bas 
ket,  which  she  had  placed  invitingly  before  his 
nose  ;  but,  when  he  had  finished  Fritz's  berries, 
he  selected  the  next  biggest  basket  and  upset 
that  in  the  same  deliberate  fashion  in  which  he 
had  overturned  the  first  one. 

"  Why,  now,  Mr.  Bear,  I  don't  think  you  are 
good,  at  all,"  said  Alvilda,  when  she  saw  her 

16 


242  NORSELAND   TALES 

friend  make  havoc  among  the  berry  baskets. 
"  Don't  you  know  you'll  get  a  stomach-ache,  if 
you  eat  so  many  berries  ? — and  then  you'll  have 
to  go  to  bed  in  your  den  and  take  nasty  medi 
cine." 

But,  seeing  that  the  bear  was  no  more  affected 
by  self-interest  than  he  was  by  regard  for  other 
people's  property,  Alvilda,  in  her  zeal,  put  her 
arms  about  his  neck  and  tried  to  drag  him  away. 
She  found,  however,  that  she  was  no  match  for 
Bruin  in  strength,  and  therefore  sorrowfully 
made  up  her  mind  to  abandon  him  to  his  own 
devices.  "  Now,  Bear,"  she  said,  seating  herself 
again  under  the  tree,  and  quite  forgetting  that 
she  had  been  frightened,  "  if  you'll  behave 
yourself,  I  am  going  to  make  you  a  pretty 
wreath  of  flowers.  Then,  Mr.  Bear,  won't  you 
look  handsome,  when  you  get  home  to  your  fam 
ily?" 

And,  delighted  at  this  vision  of  the  bear  re 
turning  to  his  astonished  family  decorated  with 
a  wreath,  she  clapped  her  hands,  emptied  a  bas 
ket  of  wild  flowers  in  her  lap,  and  began  to  tie 
them  together.  Lilies  of  the  valley,  she  feared, 
Bruin  would  scarcely  appreciate ;  but  brier- 
roses,  violets,  and  columbines,  she  thought, 
would  not  be  beyond  his  taste  ;  and  adding  here 
and  there  a  sprig  of  whortleberries  and  of  flowery 
heather  to  give  solidity  to  her  wreath,  she  tied 


LITTLE  ALVILDA  243 

it  securely  about  the  bear's  neck  and  laughed 
aloud  with  joy  at  his  appearance.  Bruin  had 
obviously  a  notion  that  this  was  a  kindly  act,  for 
he  suddenly  rose  up  on  his  hind  legs  and,  with  a 
pleased  grumble,  made  an  attempt  to  look  at 
himself. 

"  Oh,  my  dear  Bruin,"  cried  Alvilda,  "  you 
look  perfectly  lovely  !  Your  family  won't  recog 
nize  you,  when  they  see  you  again." 

The  bear  lifted  up  his  head  and,  as  his  eyes 
met  Alvilda's,  there  was  a  gleam  in  them  of  mild 
astonishment,  and,  as  the  little  girl  imagined,  of 
gratitude.  She  laughed  and  talked  on  merrily 
for  some  minutes,  while  her  friend  sat  down  on 
his  haunches  and  continued  to  gaze  at  her  with 
the  same  stolid  wonder.  But  then,  suddenly, 
while  Alvilda  was  making  another  wreath  for 
Bruin  to  take  home  to  his  wife,  the  blare  of  a 
trumpet  re-echoed  through  the  woods,  and 
laughing  voices  were  heard  approaching.  The 
bear  pricked  up  his  ears,  sniffed  the  air  suspi 
ciously,  and  waddled  slowly  away  between  the 
tree-trunks. 

"  Why,  no,  Bear,"  Alvilda  cried  after  him  ; 
"  why  don't  you  stay  and  meet  Fritz  and  Sophy 
and  the  judge's  Albert  ?  " 

But  the  bear,  instead  of  returning,  broke  into 
a  gentle  trot,  and  she  heard  the  dry  branches 
creak  beneath  his  tread  as  he  vanished  in  the 


244  NORSELAND  TALES 

underbrush.  And  just  as  she  lost  the  last 
glimpse  of  him,  Fritz  and  Sophy  and  the  whole 
party  of  children  came  rushing  up  to  her,  excus 
ing  themselves  for  their  absence,  calling  her  all 
manner  of  pet  names,  and  saying  that  they  had 
hoped  she  had  not  been  frightened.  "  Oh,  no, 
not  at  all,"  answered  Alvilda ;  "  I  have  had  such 
a  nice  bear  here,  who  has  kept  me  company. 
But  I  am  so  sorry  he  has  eaten  up  all  your  ber 
ries." 

The  children  thought,  at  first,  that  she  must 
be  joking ;  but  seeing  all  the  baskets  upset,  and 
smelling  the  strong,  wild  odor  that  was  yet  lin 
gering  in  the  air,  they  turned  pale,  and  stood 
gazing  at  each  other  in  speechless  terror.  But 
Sophy  burst  into  tears,  hugged  her  little  sister 
to  her  bosom,  and  cried  : 

"  Oh,  how  can  you  ever  forgive  me,  Alvilda  ? 
It  is  all  my  fault !  I  promised  papa  not  to  leave 
you." 

It  was  of  no  use  that  Alvilda  kept  repeating  : 
"  But,  Sophy,  he  was  not  a  bad  bear.  He  was 
a  nice  bear,  and  he  didn't  hurt  me  at  all." 

There  could  be  no  more  berrying  after  that. 
The  girls  were  in  haste  to  be  gone,  and  the  val 
iant  freebooters  had  no  desire  to  detain  them. 
They  picked  up  their  belongings  as  fast  as  they 
could,  and  hurried  down  through  the  forest,  each 
taking  his  turn,  as  before,  in  carrying  Alvilda. 


LITTLE  ALVILDA  245 

But  they  were  neither  knights  nor  princesses 
nor  freebooters  any  more.  They  were  only 
frightened  boys  and  girls. 

When  they  arrived  at  the  parsonage  about 
five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  they  were  too 
tired,  breathless,  and  demoralized  to  care  much 
what  became  of  them.  Sophy  took  upon  her 
self  to  tell  her  father  what  had  happened.  She 
was  prepared  for  the  worst,  and  in  her  remorse 
would  have  accepted  cheerfully  any  punishment. 
But  imagine  her  astonishment,  when  her  father 
uttered  no  word  of  reproach,  but  folded  Alvilda 
in  his  arms  and  thanked  God  that  he  had  his 
little  girl  once  more,  safe  and  sound. 

Now,  if  my  story  had  ended  here,  nobody 
would  have  been  astonished  ;  but  the  most  as 
tonishing  part  of  it  is  what  remains  to  be  told. 
Six  months  after  Alvilda's  encounter  with  the 
good  bear,  when  a  foot  of  snow  covered  the 
ground,  two  of  the  parson's  lumbermen,  who 
were  famous  hunters,  returned  from  a  week's 
sojourn  in  the  woods.  Fritz,  Albert,  and  Alvilda, 
bundled  up  to  their  ears  in  scarfs  and  overcoats, 
were  sliding  down  the  hill,  behind  the  stables, 
when  they  saw  the  two  lumbermen,  sitting  as 
tride  of  some  big,  dark  object,  coasting  down 
toward  them.  "  Hurrah  !  "  cried  Fritz,  waving 
his  cap,  "  there  are  Nils  and  Thorstein !  And 
they  have  killed  something,  too." 


246  NORSE  LAND   TALES 

Nils  and  Thorstein,  returning  the  greeting  of 
the  young  master,  slackened  their  speed  and 
stopped  beside  the  children.  It  was  a  big, 
brown  he-bear  they  had  on  their  sled — a  regular 
monster;  and  they  were  not  a  little  proud  of 
having  killed  him.  His  tongue  was  hanging  out 
of  his  mouth,  and  there  was  a  small  hole  in  his 
breast  from  which  the  blood  was  trickling  down 
on  the  snow. 

"  Je-miny,"  exclaimed  Fritz  admiringly,  plung 
ing  his  fist  into  the  beast's  dense  fur,  "  ain't  he 
a  stunner?  But  what  is  this? — I  declare!  He 
has  a  wreath  of  withered  flowers  about  his 
neck ! " 

Alvilda,  who  had  timidly  drawn  near,  started 
forward  at  these  words  and,  letting  her  sled  go, 
stared  at  the  dead  animal. 

"  Why,  it  is  my  bear !  "  she  cried,  bursting 
into  tears,  "  it  is  my  dear,  good  bear !  " 

And  before  anyone  could  prevent  her,  she 
had  flung  her  arms  about  the  bear's  neck  and 
buried  her  face  in  his  fur ;  and  there  she  lay 
weeping  as  if  her  heart  would  break. 

"  Oh,  they  have  been  bad  to  you,"  she  sobbed  ; 
"  and  you  were  so  good  to  me  ;  and  you  have 
worn  my  wreath  all  this  time." 

The  two  hunters  pulled  the  sled  down  into 
the  court-yard,  Alvilda  still  weeping  over  her 
dead  playmate.  And  when  her  father  came  out 


LITTLE  ALVILDA  247 

and  lifted  her  up  in  his  arms,  she  yet  remained 
inconsolable,  lamenting  the  fate  of  her  good 
bear.  But  from  the  animal's  neck  the  pastor  cut 
the  withered  wreath ;  and  it  hangs  now  on  the 
wall  in  Alvilda's  room,  as  a  memento  of  her 
ursine  friend  and  the  love  she  bore  him. 


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